The Blood of Kings
by InspiredSheep
Summary: Adeline is a Villori, a member of the wealthiest, purest, most powerful wizarding family in Britain. However, when she enters Hogwarts for her sixth year, a friendship with the Maruaders leaves her questioning her morals, her loyalties, and her future.
1. Prelude

**Author's Note**

Here's the first chapter of my new fanfiction story called _The Blood of __Kings_. This story follows my original character Adeline, and well, you'll hear all about her as you read! I know she's going to sound kind of extreme at first, but just remember that it was the way she was raised... things will be changing, don't you worry!

Read, enjoy, and please review! It would mean so much to me!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me!

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><p><strong>1. Prelude<strong>

I stood in front of my full-length mirror, surveying my appearance one final time. Tonight, like every other night, anything short of perfection was unacceptable.

My hair, black as coal, hung long and straight down my back and over my shoulders. A thin silver hair band pushed the front strands away from my heart-shaped face, my pale ivory skin seemingly glowing in the dim light of my bedroom. My bright green eyes scanned my outfit as I analyzed the ensemble one last time.

My clothes were simple but neat and elegant. An emerald green sweater dress with black tights and black shoes, topped off with silver earrings, a tiny _A_ engraved on each of them. A for Adeline.

With a final nod to no one in particular, I smoothed down my dress once more and walked confidently out of my bedroom, assured that I looked presentable. Because presentation was everything in my house, especially on days like these.

I entered the great hall of our manor just as three people suddenly appeared in the middle of it with a tiny "pop". I stood back a bit as my mother and father went to greet the first guests.

"Ah Antonin, Igor, Rabastan, welcome." said Father evenly, shaking each man's hand and looking him in the eye. They exchanged pleasantries and my Father motioned me towards him with an almost imperceptible nod of the head. I stepped forward as I had done countless times in my life, with short, quick movements, and approached the three tall, dark men in front of me.

Dolohov, Karkaroff, and Lestrange were all younger than my father, and of much lower status, but I had known them a majority of my life. With practiced ease I greeted all three with a radiant smile, leaning slightly into my father as he patted me on one thin shoulder. All men responded cordially, giving little bows towards me and my mother before they followed my father into his study for some pre-dinner drinks.

I stood by my mother, a tall woman with green eyes like me and bright blonde hair. She was almost ten years younger than my father, and still possessed the beautiful features he had wed her for almost twenty years before. We looked much alike in everything but hair color and she smiled at me and squeezed my hand gently as we waited side by side in the great hall, our many servants scurrying all around us as they prepared dinner and set the Manor's dining hall with our nicest china.

Mother and I didn't have to wait long before there was another soft "pop" and three women appeared in the center of the room. Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Walburga Black stepped forward to meet my mother and I. Walburga was a rather large woman, and quite outspoken, married to Orion Black, who was a good friend of my father's. Her nieces, Narcissa and Bellatrix, were a few years older than me, though I still knew them fairly well.

Narcissa bore a striking resemblance to my own mother, with her near-white hair and pale complexion. Even their personalities matched, both being somewhat subdued and soft-spoken.

Bellatrix could not have been more different. She was loud and stubborn, firm in her beliefs. She was also quite beautiful, but in a different way than her sister or my mother. She flaunted it, using it to her advantage whenever she could.

After all the women had greeted each other, we stepped into my mother's expansive parlor room for refreshments.

This was how every one of these get-togethers always went. The men arrived. My father greeted them, exuding confidence and superiority, and then presented me as his favorite treasure: the perfect daughter, his pride and joy. The men retired into the study. Mother and I waited for the women, if any were to being joining us, as often they did not. When all, if any, of the female guests had arrived, we had tea or coffee in the parlor while we waited for dinner to begin. Dinner was served, polite conversation was maintained. The men went into the study again to discuss private matters. Everyone left.

I had grown so accustomed to these little get-togethers that I felt myself going through the motions without a thought. The guests were always different but the layout was the same.

But one thing I had learned early on in my life, when I had been just a little girl and my older brothers had grown up and one by one, been invited to join in on these solemn "private chats" in father's office, were that these were not just social visits. They were business meetings.

Since practically birth, my lineage, and everything that went along with it, was something that I was reminded of again and again and again.

I was a pure-blood. And not only was I a pure-blood, I was a _Villori_, a member of the most powerful, most wealthy, most influential pure-blood family in all of Britain.

Presentation was everything. Wealth was everything. Blood was everything.

My parents believed this. Their status, their role in society, their way of life centered around it. We were at the core of a group of people who believed what we believed: purity was supremacy.

My family looked down upon half-bloods and muggle-borns because they were not full wizards. They had no wizarding lineage, no true claim to magic. And these people that my father invited to our house, these people who I had grown up listening to talk about purity and power and wealth, were the kind of people who were trying to make our wizarding society a better, purer place to live and flourish.

And I agreed. Why wouldn't I? My parents were noble-minded people. They were doing this for the good of our friends and our family. They had worked hard to make _Villori_ a name to be revered by all.

I wasn't naïve. I'd heard our servants talk when they thought I wasn't listening or couldn't hear them. They said that a war was brewing, between us—the pure-bloods—and the others, the muggle-borns and the half-bloods and anyone who thought that magic was just for _anyone_.

But according to my parents and my older brothers and our many dinner guests, our side would win. Which made sense to me. Our claim to magic was the strongest of anyone. It was only suitable that we would come out on top.

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><p>During dinner, as we were all served on silver platters and the servants danced around the table, offering us more of everything and keeping our glasses full, the conversation flowed among a great many topics.<p>

Talk revolved around the war (which was never actually called a war outright. Mostly it was referred to as the 'situation'), the latest scandals among pure-blood society, and Narcissa's recent engagement to Lucius Malfoy, a regular at my father's get-togethers and a close friend of my eldest brother, Roy.

Mrs. Black, sitting on my mother's left, was chewing her food thoughtfully, her eyes on me. I had been mostly silent up until this point, the only non-adult present, and had been somewhat lost in my thoughts when the mention of my name by the matriarch of the Black family caught my attention.

"And what of sweet Adeline, here? How is her schooling?" she asked, her eyes suddenly on my father, who was taking a large gulp from his silver goblet of wine.

He set down his drink, his smile wide as he looked at me with the utmost pride. "Ah, funny you should ask, dear Walburga," he said, stabbing his roasted quail with a fork as he spoke. "Lenoir and I have recently decided that it is high-time Adeline continues her education at Hogwarts." He smiled at me, although I could see that hint of warning in his gaze that told me I was not to appear shocked.

Though shocked I most certainly was. I did my best to keep my face impassive, although I was certain I failed miserably despite my best efforts. But Father had _never_ so much as mentioned the _possibility_ of my going to Hogwarts. Had he and mother really been discussing it? How had I not known? I knew everything that went on in this house.

Or at least I thought I did.

"Oh I see." said Walburga, as all the attention in the room suddenly focused on me. I held my head high, trying to exude confidence and calmness while inside I felt only turmoil. I did my best to listen to what was being said. "Yes I suppose it is about time. What made you change your mind?"

My parents had never sent my brothers to Hogwarts. They—and I as well, apparently up until now—had been taught by the best tutors that money could buy, right in our own home, despite the fact that Hogwarts was supposed to be one of the greatest wizarding schools in the world. They had strongly disagreed with the fact that Hogwarts was open to children of all blood-lines. Mudbloods were welcome, and my parents hated it.

It had always been a secret desire of mine, however, to attend the school I had heard so much about but never visited nor even seen. It sounded interesting. I had never been around many people my own age, besides my brothers and the other pure-blood children my parents allowed me to interact with. Most of my life had been spent in this manor, with my parents and our servants and the many guests we entertained on a regular basis. Of course I had been on trips and headed into London or Rochester once in a while, but for the most part my life had been quite sheltered.

But my parents had never even considered Hogwarts an option, due to its non-pure reputation, and I had never even thought to question it. It was just so much easier to do as they wished.

My father was looking at me thoughtfully now, and I could tell he was pleased at how well I was taking this surprising news. He smiled at me before answering Mrs. Black. "My Adeline is a clever girl. I want her to go to Hogwarts and show everyone there, that damned Dumbledore included, that the Villori family is a force to be reckoned with. She needs to build up a reputation at Hogwarts, and be a leader for the other pure-bloods that go to school there. You're son included, Walburga! Regulus is just a few years younger than Adeline, is he not?"

"He is." said Mrs. Black, eyeing me dubiously, as if she wondered whether I could really be a leader to _her_ son, Regulus, the pride and joy of the Black family. I stared right back, the shock wearing off to be replaced with joy. If Father would really allow me to attend Hogwarts, I would be the leader of whatever he wanted me to be. "What about the mudbloods that walk the halls and even _teach the classes_ at Hogwarts? I thought you were strictly against the idea, Samson."

"I am, as I think we all are here." My father said calmly, nodding at every person sitting at the long table, all eyes on him. "But soon, as we all know, this will change. Until then, I know that Adeline will only converse with the _correct_ people. She's got a good head on her shoulders, and she's grown up in a pure house. She's an excellent representation of the Villori family, and I must say, pure bloods in general. I have no doubt she'll make a name for herself at that school."

Bellatrix raised her glass at the end of my father's speech, a smile on her face. I had no doubt that she, a former Hogwarts student herself, agreed with my father's sentiments. Bellatrix's entire Hogwarts experience had been about proving the supremacy of pure blood over all else. It was obvious that she was eager for me to do the same.

_And why not?_ I thought, as I raised my own glass and said the Villori family motto along with everyone else at the table, my heart beating fast as it really sunk in that in just two weeks I would be on the train to Hogwarts, proving to everyone what it meant to be pure. To be a Villori.

"Sanguis Regis, Purus Ut Nox."

_The Blood of Kings, Pure as Night._


	2. Truth

**Author's Note**

So, I already had this chapter written, and I was going to wait a few days longer until I published it but... nah!

In this chapter Adeline goes to Hogwarts, but things don't exactly go like she expected!

I've pretty much outlined the next five or six chapters of this story, but I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write in the next few weeks with exams coming up and all. AP Chemistry, AP Human Geography, AP World History... yeah, I've got a lot on my plate! But don't you worry, updates will come!

And please check out my profile! I've put some pictures on there of the actress Caterina Scorsone who plays Amelia on _Private Practice._ She's so pretty and looks **exactly** like how I imagined Adeline!

Also, I would like to give a huge thank-you to the people who reviewed my first chapter! I can't even begin to tell you how much it means to me! Up until now I've never really shared my writing with anyone and it was so nice and inspirational to hear the positive feedback! Thank you!

So, enjoy this chapter, and bear in mind that although there will** definitely** be a romance between Adeline and Sirius in this story, it will be a while before that happens! But everything that leads up to them getting together is the fun part anyway, am I right?

Yeah! Okay, well, as always, read, enjoy, review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!

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><p><strong>2. Truth<strong>

Platform 9 ¾ was absolutely bursting with people as I made my way through the throngs of people, head held high, alone. My parents had chosen to see me off from home, far from the public eye. They had felt it was better for them to stay as far away from the filthy blood that inhabited Hogwarts, and apparently platform 9 ¾, as possible. I didn't question it.

Since we lived just a bit outside London, I had simply taken a car, driven by the family chauffeur, into the city, and made my way to the train station, then through the enchanted wall and onto the platform itself. I noticed the families of practically every child in sight saying tearful farewells and giving last hugs goodbye. It was certainly a sharp contrast from the largely unaffectionate environment I had grown up in. But mostly I was not impressed. Tears, hugs, emotional farewells: they were all signs of weakness, as I had been taught early on.

I handed off my trunk to the trolley-men and climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express, smiling slightly to myself as I did so. It was just like I had imagined it to be, the many, many times I had sat around the manor, day-dreaming of the big red train that would take me away to such a historical, magical place. Hogwarts.

I found an empty compartment and quickly claimed it as mine. I had briefly considered trying to find Regulus Black, who would be starting his 5th year while I started my 6th, but decided against it. I would make my own way for now. There would be plenty of time to visit with my fellow pure-bloods later, once I had been officially sorted into the Slytherin house.

There was no doubt in my mind that I would be in Slytherin. It was where proud pure-bloods like me were always sorted, and by far the best house in Hogwarts. The most powerful, most ambitious, most privileged students were always placed in Slytherin. Everyone said so.

I really did know a great deal about Hogwarts for someone who had never set foot within the castle before. My entire life had been full of stories from guests at my parents' house of their days at the school, representing the Slytherin house and making friendships with other pure-bloods there that had lasted a lifetime. I hoped to do the same. And as I pictured father's smiling face when he heard that I was the best student and the best representation of a Slytherin that Hogwarts had ever had, I was determined to do so. Making father and mother proud was what I had strived for and accomplished ever since I had been a small child.

I was broken out of my reverie by a disturbance, and I watched from my own empty compartment as five people attempted to cram themselves into the one across the walkway. They seemed to be a lively bunch, although my eyes narrowed as I noticed that all of them were sporting Gryffindor colors—red and gold—in some way.

They looked to be all about my age. There was a short, slightly chubby boy with dull brown hair and a good-natured grin on his face. Seated next to him was a tall, good-looking boy with round glasses and dark brown hair that seemed completely mesmerized by the girl sitting across from him. She was maybe an inch shorter than me—though it was hard to tell since she was sitting down—with long, bright-red hair and emerald green eyes. She sat next to a thin, tired-looking boy, though he was smiling as he chatted with her about something, every once in a while running a long-fingered hand through his sandy blonde hair. What really caught my eye, though, was the boy sitting on the other side of the red-haired girl, whom she seemed to be pointedly ignoring.

He was most certainly one of the handsomest boys I had ever seen.

His skin was tan and flawless, and his face boasted a strong jaw and chiseled features that could have been taken straight out of a magazine ad. His hair was not long, but not as short as his friends', and it was an extremely dark brown, almost black, which contrasted starkly with his blue-gray eyes that seemed to dance with energy as his gaze wandered around the compartment and then, quite boldly, right into my own eyes.

I blinked, looking away immediately, but I didn't miss the confident way he looked me up and down like I was a piece of meat once our eye-contact had been broken. I felt my cheeks flush as I gazed determinately out the window, embarrassed at being caught staring and slightly agitated by the way he had just so blatantly checked me out. I crossed my arms, trying to exude the confidence and superiority that I should be feeling as a Villori, especially as compared to all those Gryffindors. The lot of them were probably all half-bloods, maybe even muggle-borns. Disgusting.

However, for some reason I wasn't feeling that Villori pride whatsoever. While I still kept my gaze firmly fixed on the window, I felt my thoughts drift back to the people in the compartment across from mine. They were smiling and talking, probably all old, great friends. I was sitting here alone, no companions. No friends. No one to talk to.

Jealousy bit through me before I could stop it. It hurt for a moment, but I soon mentally kicked myself for being so envious, especially of people with such poor blood. I was a Villori for god sakes. I was the subject of envy, not the person who felt it.

With that I held my head high, waiting out the rest of the train ride in solitude, my excitement growing and my jealousy for the students across from me ebbing with every kilometer that we traveled.

Soon, I would be at Hogwarts, surrounded by my Slytherin comrades, and everyone would know who I was. Here, on this train, I was just a girl, sitting alone in a compartment. There, I knew that word of my family's reputation would spread fast. After all, I was Adeline Villori. I had the blood of kings running through my veins.

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><p>The sorting began as soon as everyone else had filed into the Great Hall, just as I had read in <em>Hogwarts, a History<em>. Once all the first-years had scurried off to their respective house tables, I stepped up to the stool as the headmaster spoke. Dumbledore. Certainly a name I had heard before.

"Ah yes, we have one more student that requires sorting. She will be joining us at Hogwarts for her sixth year. I expect you all to give Miss Adeline Villori a warm welcome!"

I didn't even spare Dumbledore a glance as I placed the ragged hat confidently on my head. Mother and Father, and every one of our friends, hated him. They said he was mad as a hatter, and a lover of mud-bloods. He was scum and most definitely _not_ worth my attention.

The hat fit snuggly on my head, and I waited with squared shoulders as I heard its voice sound in my mind.

_Ah, what have we here. A Villori? It's been ages since one of you came along. Still pure as ever, I see. And as proud. You're a clever one though, that much is evident. Ambitious too. Hmm… yes. Well, by first glance I'd put you in Slytherin. _My heart soared. _However…_ _I can tell you aren't like the rest. You have a good heart, Villori. And courage. Who would have thought it?_

And then that damned hat ruined everything.

"GRYFFINDOR!" it screeched.

What had I done to deserve this?

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><p>I stood up from the stool in a daze and took off the bloody hat, having to exercise extreme self-control just to keep myself from tearing it off my head and ripping it into pieces. I hadn't taken two steps before the muttering started. If there was anyone who didn't know what family I belonged to or what we stood for, they would know soon.<p>

"Bloody hell, a Villori. Never thought I'd see one with my own eyes. Her father must be the richest man in Britain!"

"Adeline Villori? Her parents are practically the leaders of the dark side! _She_ got put in Gryffindor?"

"Her parents are those insane pure-blood supremacists! Her family funds You-Know-Who's entire operation. Who does she think she's fooling?"

"Doesn't look so proud and pompous now, does she? Supposedly she's got the purest blood in all of Britain. I wonder what Mommy and Daddy are going to think when she tells them she got sorted into Gryffindor!"

I held my head high, as always, as I walked with purpose over to the disgusting Gryffindor table, trying to keep myself composed while on the inside I was in absolute turmoil. I felt every single eye on me as I took the first open seat I saw, and wondered vaguely if I was going to be sick.

Because right now, I felt as though my life was surely ending.

I, Adeline Villori, a member of the most prominent, wealthiest, most powerful family in the entire country, had just been placed in Gryffindor house. Home to the mud-bloods. What could be worse?

How could I ever face my parents, knowing I had failed them so terribly? They hated anyone who had any affiliation at all with any other house but Slytherin, and Gryffindors most of all.

Slytherin was the place for the clever. The ambitious. The pure.

But not me?

Mother and Father would be so disappointed. They, nor any of their friends, would ever look at me the same way again. I may as well have married a muggle.

I was partially aware that food had appeared on the tables, and that people were still staring at me and whispering my name, trying to make sense of the situation as much as I was.

But to them it was surely just a bit of a novelty. A Villori that isn't in Slytherin? Odd. Surprising. Suspicious, even.

To me, it was as if I bomb had gone off, destroying everything I held dear. My parents' approval. My pride. My standing as a Villori heiress.

I snapped out of my panic when I felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped, breathing in sharply, and turned to look into a pair of green eyes. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to startle you!" said the girl. The girl from the train, I realized, as she smiled apologetically at me, her hand still on my shoulder. I fought the urge to shake it off and scream in her face. Instead I just stared blankly. "Um," she said, glancing back at the boy sitting directly across from us. It was the blonde, tired one whom she had been talking to earlier. "I'm Lily. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seem a bit… distraught." More sympathetic smiling. Her kindness was almost as bad as the whispering of her fellow students.

"I'm fine." I said, a little harsher than I had meant to, and left it at that. Turning away from her, I started to put a bit of food on my plate, just to give myself something to do.

I saw her frown out of the corner of my eye and look over to the blonde, who simply shrugged and went back to his plate. I glanced up momentarily to see that he was sitting between the tall one with glasses and the plump boy, both of whom had also been on the train earlier today. Bloody hell, of all the people I had been hoping to avoid, I seemed to have sat right in the middle of their little group.

One was missing though. With a sinking heart I took a quick peek to the right of the bespectacled boy and, sure enough, the handsome guy who had been staring at me on the Hogwarts Express was sitting there, watching me again, a peculiar expression on his face. He seemed to find something amusing. It pissed me off to no end, and I glared at him until he finally gave a little shrug and looked away, smiling slightly to himself. Handsome or not, the guy was obviously a complete prick.

I truly had no appetite as I sat in the middle of a sea of Gryffindors, scared and upset and absolutely dreading the letter I would have to send to my parents as soon as I got the chance. I had a feeling this was unforgivable.

The red-head, Lily, seemed adamant about talking to me though, as she turned to me and prepared herself to take another stab at conversation. "So, uh," she said, as I grudgingly moved my head minutely to show her that I was paying attention. "You're a 6th year! I am too. So is Remus." she told me, nodding her head towards the blonde, who smiled at me. I didn't smile back. "I suppose you and I are going to be roommates! How exciting! Sally was my only roommate last year, and she just moved to France, so I guess it'll just be you and me!" she tried to smile at me, but I basically just ignored her. "And, uh," she said, apparently determined to befriend me and now seemingly looking around the room, trying to find a topic for conversation. Her eyes settled on the boys sitting across from her and she started pointing to them. "These are the sixth year boys in Gryffindor," she told me, pointing them out one at a time. "Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, and Sirius Black."

Black?

Bloody hell!

I must have given a start when she said his name, because Lily immediately started glancing between Black and myself, as he fixed me with another smug smile.

"Do you know each other?" she finally said, when neither Black nor myself gave any indication that we were going to explain things.

I didn't quite know how to answer. Sirius Black was someone that I technically did know, or had known, when I was a little girl. Obviously he was the son of Walburga and Orion Black, and my family and the Blacks were tight-knit to say the least. But Sirius had become a bit of a taboo. No one talked about him. No one said his name. Doing so was likely to send both the Blacks into a rage.

Since I was 6 or 7, Sirius had stopped coming with his family to social events that were a part of pure-blood society. At first, the Black's would say that he was ill, and everyone would believe them. But it slowly became apparent that Sirius Black was not ill, but rather refused to play the role of Black family heir that he technically had inherited. Last I had heard, Sirius had completely forsaken his standing as a Black and it was only a matter of time before his family disowned him entirely. It was something I certainly had never understood. The Blacks were a very powerful family, not as powerful as Villori, but still, they had a good standing. Why would he turn his back on everything his parents had worked hard on, and something that would bring him so much fortune and pride?

It had always struck me as mad.

Yet here sat Black, a boy I had not seen since I was just a little girl, looking quite sane—and if I was being quite honest, quit attractive—and there was no doubt in my mind that he remembered me too.

This was confirmed as he opened up that pretty mouth of his and spoke, answering Lily's question.

"Yep." he said, focusing all his attention on me and flashing a smile in my direction. "Since diapers. Our dads are right pals, aren't they, _Addy_?"

I cringed at the nickname that no one had called me since I was a toddler. Of course he would remember that.

"And more than that, looks as if we're even in the same boat! You're probably even more shocked than I was to be in Gryffindor. Quite the rush, right? To realize you aren't the pureblood-supremacist, raving lunatics that your parents are?"

I stared at him, gaping. I couldn't help it. Was he serious? I had never been more ashamed of myself in my entire life, and he was acting like this was a _good_ thing? That our parents' way of life was what was backwards in this situation? He was obviously crazy, just good at hiding it.

My shocked expression was apparently enough to clear up the misunderstanding. His face fell from that cocky grin to almost a look of disgust as he finally understood my behavior.

"_Bloody hell_," he said, looking briefly at James and Remus before returning that bright-eyed gaze back to me. "You're exactly like your parents! A damn blood-obsessed monster just like all the others!" he shook his head at me, disbelieving. What was he trying to do? Make me ashamed of my heritage? My way of life? It seemed ludicrous to me. And offending. I was a Villori. He should be treating me with the upmost respect. My blank stare became a glare as I watched him watch me.

Lily mistook my anger and decided to intervene. "Sirius! What a terrible thing to say! Of course she wouldn't believe in all that rubbish! She was put in Gryffindor for a reason, just as you were! Right, Adeline?"

She turned to me, an uncertain, hopeful smile on her face. I was frozen as I felt everyone within a 10 foot radius watch me, waiting for my reaction. For a brief, insane second, I considered lying through my teeth, and telling all my new Gryffindor housemates that Lily was right, and that I cared nothing for blood or lineage or connections, all the things that made me who I was. They would accept me then, I knew it. I might even make a few friends, and be just how Lily and James and Remus and Peter and Sirius had been on the train today. Laughing and smiling and talking.

But I was not a liar, and if anything I craved the reverence and respect that I had been treated with my entire life. I wasn't ashamed or disgusted by my heritage like Sirius Black was of his. It was what I had been taught to believe in, I would never compromise my pride or my beliefs just to fit in with filthy Gryffindor blood-traitors.

So I stood, my head held high, and looked Sirius dead in the eye like the Villori I was born to be. "I'm a Villori," I said evenly, as Sirius glared right back. "and damn proud of it."

Then I left the Great Hall without looking back, leaving a shocked group of Gryffindors in my wake.


	3. Competition

**Author's Note**

Woah! Look at me, done with this next chapter already! It's maybe not quite as long as the last two, and its more plot-driven than anything, but hey, a chapter's a chapter!

Chapter 4 is basically going to be a continuation of this current situation, but with a bit of Sirius added in! Yay! Things are looking up!

Again, I would like to thank those who have reviewed my story thus far. Its so encouraging and makes me want to write better and faster!

Alrighty, here's chapter 3 :)

Read, enjoy, and please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

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><p><strong>3. Competition<strong>

"_Adeline,_

_I have learned that you have been sorted into the Gryffindor House at Hogwarts. This revolting news was a great surprise to me. I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed I am. We raised you perfectly and you have ruined your own name and tarnished our family's. I assure you that there will be significant consequences._

_However, after long consideration, I have decided to allow you to stay in the Villori family. Know that you were very nearly disowned, and may still be unless we can find another use for you._

_No longer do I care for you as a daughter. You're actions are detestable._

_Samson Tiberius Villori_

I found the letter on my new bed in the Gryffindor tower, and read it with shaking hands, sobs beginning to rack my body as I came to the end and read the last lines. How could this happen to me? A few hours ago I had been the princess of the Villori family, the apple of my father's eye.

Now I was nothing. Worse than nothing, really. My father hated me, I had very nearly been disowned, and I had no one.

I suddenly felt a wave of sickness pass over me, and ran into the bathroom, drive heaves racking my body as I struggled to remember the last time I had eaten. This morning? Last night?

I finally stood up on shaky legs and splashed some cold water on my face. It brought me back to the present and I stared at myself in the mirror, wondering what had possibly gone so wrong. I was pure blood and had been raised as one. I had done everything my parents had asked me to do. Why in God's name had everything suddenly been so ruined?

I went into my new bedroom, inwardly groaning when I noticed for the first time that Lily's belongings had been placed on the opposite side of the room next to her bed. I was certainly dreading our next encounter after my little show at dinner.

I sat on my bed, masochistically deciding to read through the letter one more time. The words still bit me, but I could see a little sparkle of hope on the horizon.

School would be over in a year. If I worked tirelessly, I was fairly certain I could get top-notch grades. I was damn good at magic; those expensive tutors had ensured that. Then, after, when my father learned of how flawless my scores were and how strong my desire was to please him, maybe he would see that my being put in Gryffindor was just a minor setback. Maybe he would decide to take me back in, and things could go back to how they were, this little accident forgotten.

It was a long-shot, but it was all I had and probably the best option for me. It's not like I had any friends to distract me from my studies anyway, and more likely than not a school full of mud-bloods wasn't going to offer me much in the way of competition. More than that, I had never wanted anything as badly as I wanted to be back in father's good graces. I needed it.

Resolved, I decided I might as well avoid Lily as much as possible, starting now. Normally I wasn't the type of girl to run away from my problems, but I was too mentally and emotionally exhausted to get into a huge confrontation. I was sure that she and all those boys she hung around with, as well as the entire Gryffindor house, thought I was a monster. But they didn't understand because it wasn't their lifestyle. The way _they _had been raised.

Not that it mattered to me. I wasn't at Hogwarts to make friends with Gryffindors. Now I was here to work hard and win back my place in pure-blood society, which had been lost _because_ I came to Hogwarts in the first place. It had been a bloody bad day.

But anyway, I didn't want to see Lily. So, with a wave of my wand I turned out all the lights and drew the curtains around my bed, wrapping myself up in the safety of my covers and shutting my eyes tightly, effectively cutting myself off from the rest of the world.

Sleep did not come quickly.

* * *

><p>"Villori, Adeline!" called Professor McGonagall at breakfast the next morning, holding my time table high in the air and looking around the Great Hall for me. I raised my hand a little above my head and she spotted me, nodding as she gave me the paper and turned away, seeking out the next Gryffindor on her list.<p>

I tried to avoid eye contact with everyone as I sat by myself at the long table, as far away as I could get from Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. I knew very well that everyone in Gryffindor hated me. Even as I devoted all my attention to the Daily Prophet and glanced nowhere but the newspaper and the small bowl of oatmeal and fruit in front of me, I could feel angry gazes boring into me like daggers.

I suppose I understood. They were blood-traitors, the very people my family was trying to eradicate from the wizarding world. If I had been placed in Slytherin, I would be among other pure-bloods like myself. I would have friends and admirers who praised me—not hated me—for being a Villori. Now, though, I was the subject of disdain by everyone: my fellow pure bloods for being sorted into the Grffindor house, and my fellow Gryffindors because of my family.

I tried to shake this off, telling myself that it really didn't matter. My entire life, I had hardly known anyone that I would call a friend, and it hadn't bothered me in the slightest. Why should it now?

Unfortunately, it couldn't be that simple. The teenage girl within me was desperate to be accepted, even if I was too proud to admit it.

With a sigh I set down the spoon in my left hand and picked up my times table. My first class was potions, followed by Defense Against the Dark Arts. _Excellent_, I thought with a small smile, my problems forgotten momentarily. _My two best subjects._

* * *

><p>"Attention, everyone, attention!" said Professor Slughorn, waving his wand as he tottered into the room. Words began to write themselves on the board as everyone took their seats. I found myself near the front of the classroom, with Lily somehow ending up at the work station right next to my own. Figures.<p>

The directions for brewing an Invigoration Draught having been written neatly on the chalk board, Slughorn smiled calmly at the class, his gaze resting on me. "Ah, a new student! What's your name, dear?" he asked, almost as if he was sizing me up.

"Adeline Villori." I said, holding my head high and ignoring the snickers that came from the Slytherin half of the classroom.

Slughorn seemed oblivious to their mirth and surveyed me with new interest. "_Really_?" He said, eyebrows raised. "How very curious! A Villori in Gryffindor! Well, it's truly a pity you weren't been placed in Slytherin, you would have been a wonderful addition."

I winced, thinking he probably could not have said anything worse. There was more giggling from the classroom as a Gryffindor boy I didn't recognize sitting in the back called out, "You can take her!"

Slughorn, still oblivious, gave me one last smile and turned his attention back to the classroom at large. "Well, dear students, it's a new school year, and a pleasure to see you all again! Let's get this show on the road, shall we? As you can see, the directions for brewing an Invigorating Draught are written on the board behind me. I would like for you all to work diligently and precisely, but with efficiency! The student with the best quality potion at the end of the hour will earn 50 points towards their house and the highest mark! Begin!"

While I didn't find house points to be much of a motivator, there was nothing I desired more than good grades with which to please father.

With that in mind, I set to work, ignoring my surroundings and focusing all of my energy on the ingredients and brewing tools in front of me. Professor Slughorn ambled slowly around the room, commenting on techniques and giving suggestions. He complimented me on my stirring method before scurrying off to address a Slytherin's potion that had suddenly started emitting pink bubbles. I took his lack of criticism to be a good thing, and kept working, following the directions exactly.

Forty-five minutes later, I set down my stirring instrument and stepped back from my cauldron, satisfied but thrilled that I seemed to be the first one finished. I opened my mouth to call out to Slughorn and ask him to judge my draught, just as a clear voice rang out to my left.

"Professor Slughorn, sir?" said Lily Evans, "My potion is done!"

* * *

><p>I watched, my skin prickling with frustration, as Slughorn went on and on about Lily's <em>perfect<em> invigorating draught. After what seemed like forever, he moved on to my worktable, where I waited silently for him to critique my own potion.

"Excellent work, Miss Villori." he said, grinning. "No doubt you have ample skill in the field of potions. This draught is simply exquisite!" he smiled kindly at me, apparently not noticing the tenseness of the situation as he examined the rest of the class' potions and went to stand in the front of the room.

"Well," he said, clapping his hands together. "Good show! I must say, it was a very hard decision, choosing the winner. Two students, Miss Adeline and Miss Lily, certainly stood out from the rest!" he looked at us proudly, as the entire class waited with baited breath for him to declare the winner, myself included. Slughorn seemed to be enjoying the tension, as it seemed like ages before he finally said, "While both draughts were of magnificent quality, the victory goes to Miss Evans! Congratulations!"

My heart sunk as Lily beamed and the rest of the class clapped, someone, probably James, enchanting red and gold confetti to fly around the ceiling.

I slouched back into my chair as Lily looked back in my direction and smiled at me, showing off straight white teeth. "Nice work, Adeline." She said with a little laugh, all kindness and positivity. "I'm always up for a little friendly competition!"

I stared back at her, doing my best not to roll me eyes at her attempt to make friends. Lily Evans was nothing to me but a nuisance, standing in the way of me impressing my father. "Yeah," I said, not meeting her eye and instead starting to pack up my materials, wanting to get out of there as soon as I could. "friendly competition."


	4. Questioning

**Author's Note**

Chapter 4 is ready! I'm sure you'll all be very excited to read Adeline's first real conversation with the wonderful, GLORIOUS Sirius Black.

Also, thank you again SOO much to everyone that has reviewed! It means a lot and its nice to know that there are people out there actually reading my work! It's so exciting! Thank you again!

And I encourage you to check out my profile, because I put some more pictures up for Lily, and who she reminds me of in real life. It's the totally gorgeous super model Katerina Martinovska!

So yep, that's it for now!

Read, enjoy, review! :) :)

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

* * *

><p><strong>4. Questioning<strong>

"We're going to be starting things off a bit differently this year." said Professor Lark as he strode to the front of the classroom, all business. "Duels are the most effective way for me to observe your individual abilities, so that I can get a sense of your current skill level."

Most of the class cheered. I smiled slightly to myself. Winning a duel couldn't be too hard, and I was sure that father would be proud to hear that I had won my very first one at Hogwarts.

"Stick to basic hexes and jinxes, shields are encouraged, and if anything, try to stun or disarm your opponent! I'd rather not send anyone up to the hospital wing on the first day of class! Alright then, I'll pair you up randomly and we can start."

* * *

><p>I gripped my wand tightly as I stood twenty feet away from Lily Evans, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Of all the people I could have been paired with, she would have been my last choice. One day had passed and I already had a rival.<p>

"Begin," said Professor Lark, bringing me back to the present, and the room exploded with flying curses and shouted spells.

Two minutes in, it was increasingly evident that Lily Evans and I were extremely well-matched in everything academic, and dueling was no exception. We sent hex after hex towards each other, though none hit their mark as each time the receiver of the spell would block it with a shield or dodge it entirely.

And so it went for ten more minutes, as the other students steadily finished their own duels and stood off to the side, until we were the only two left.

Everyone was watching, and we were both tiring fast. Any moment, I knew one of us would slip up, and it would all be over. I just couldn't let the mistake be mine.

"Stupefy!" I shouted, putting everything I had into the spell, intent on ending this exhausting duel once and for all. However, Lily threw up a shield just in the nick of time, sending my own spell blasting back towards me.

The power of it sent me staggering backwards, and that turned out to be all the opportunity that Lily needed.

"Expelliarmus!" she cried, the spell shooting out of her wand like a rocket. It hit me with a huge amount of force, sending me flying off of my already unsteady feet and onto my back 4 meters behind me, my wand flying out of my hand and into Lily's at the same time.

The class exploded into applause as Lily jogged over to me, giving me back my wand and offering a hand to help me up. I sat there for a second as the clapping died down, my heart in the pit of my stomach. I had failed, yet again. An experience I was beginning to get horribly familiar with.

"So Villori loses to a muggle-born. Ironic, that is." I heard a Slytherin say behind me as I got back onto my feet, ignoring Lily's outstretched hand.

"Oh I'm so glad Lily won!" said a Ravenclaw girl to her friend. "Someone needed to show that Adeline girl that blood has nothing to do with ability!"

"Not so high and mighty now, eh Villori?" A Slytherin guy called to me from across the room as the rest of the class packed away their things, waiting for class to be dismissed. "Is it a big hit to your ego, getting blown straight onto your arse by a muggle-born?"

I suddenly felt frozen in the center of the room as my brain made since of these comments.

Lily Evans was a muggle-born?

I had just lost a duel to a _muggle-born_?

What the hell was going on?

I shoved past Gryffindors, Slytherins, and Ravenclaws alike, desperate to get out of that god-awful classroom. Desperate to make sense of the day's events.

I stumbled into the hallway without looking back and sunk onto the floor, my head in my hands. Suddenly everything was too much, and nothing made sense.

I had been humiliated twice in one day. And despite my pure blood and my lineage and my standing, I had not only proven myself to be inferior in ability to another person, but that other person happened to be a _mud-blood_? A filthy muggle-born, a member of a group of people whom I had been told since I was small that I was superior to in every way, _especially_ in terms of magical ability?

Nothing made sense. I was a Villori. I should be the one with the admirers. I should be the one with the victories. I should be the one with the power.

I was suddenly angry. Angry at Hogwarts for putting me in Gryffindor. Angry at my father for sending me here in the first place and then abandoning me. Angry at Lily for being a muggle-born but still coming out on top. Angry at myself for allowing any of this to happen.

I was about to stand just as someone came around the corner and spotted me. Oh great, would I be reprimanded for leaving class? Was this just one more thing to add to my never-ending list of failures?

"Oi, Villori!" called a voice. A voice I recognized, and probably the last voice I wanted to hear.

"Get away from me, Black." I said, reaching for my wand, desperate to be alone. I didn't care anymore about what rules I broke or who I disappointed. My life had gone from perfect to shambles in 24 hours. A detention, even expulsion, wouldn't change anything at this point.

Sirius didn't seem fazed as he leaned against the opposite wall, eyeing me and my wand held in my left hand almost curiously. "What, you going to hex me?" he asked, as if it was funny.

"Yes, unless you leave." I said, glaring at him from my sitting position on the floor.

He chuckled, although I was quite serious. "You're an odd bird Villori."

My grip on the wand tightened. I didn't like the way he was laughing at me. "Yeah, why is that?"

He nodded at me, a smirk still on his face. "Well, here you are, sitting on the ground, all kinds of angry. You just stormed out of a classroom after being knocked flat on your arse by Evans, which has happened to practically everyone in our year, yet you are the only one seriously upset about it. A day ago, you were much too dignified to do so much as speak to anyone in this school, as brainwashed as you are with all the pure-blood supremacist crap your Dark Lord-worshiping parents have put in your head all these years, and now here you are, sitting like a kicked puppy on the floor, ready to hex me into next year."

I stared at Sirius, who was smiling at me smugly after that little speech. I felt the anger in me bubble up once again and in hardly longer than a second I had crossed the hallway with a few long strides, pushed Sirius back against the stone wall, and placed the tip of my wand at his throat.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me like that!" I growled, angrier than I had ever been before in my life, sick and tired of the ridicule that had followed me everywhere I went since I had come to this damned school, and especially fed up with Sirius Black and his mocking grin.

He didn't seem so mocking now though, as he stared at me, his gray-blue eyes searching mine. He seemed shocked, actually. "Aren't you just full of surprises?" he said, his eyes now lingering on my wand, which I hadn't moved from his neck.

I ignored him, my eyes blazing with fury. "Look here, Black." I said scathingly. "I'm a Villori, and you damn-well better treat me with respect. I don't care if you _are_ a pure-blood, you're no better than a filthy muggle if you ask me, the way you go about hanging around with Evans and Potter and all the rest of the mud-bloods in Gryffindor." I shoved him away from me and backed up, keeping my wand raised. I was more than a little surprised at his nerve when he gave a cynical laugh, making no move to grab his own wand.

"Bloody hell, Addy! Listen to yourself! Talking about all this blood-rubbish like it has _anything_ to do with ability! Evans's parents are muggles and she just hexed you straight across the room a few minutes ago! _Blood doesn't matter!_" he was shouting now, his handsome face contorted with anger and frustration as he addressed me in the empty hallway, striding forward until he was a few feet away from me.

"Of course it matters, Black!" I shouted back, "It's everything! I don't understand you! Your childhood was just like mine, yet you turn your back on everything our parents believe in!"

"Because its crap! All of it! Blood has nothing to do with ability or character or anything! Damn it Villori, don't you see? Your family is killing innocent, kind people, for absolutely no reason! Do you think Lily should _die_ because she's a muggle-born? She's a good person! A brilliant witch! Do you want your parents to kill her? That's their mission! How can you believe in something like that?" he was breathing heavily, a foot away from me, his face flushed with anger.

I stood there, his words sinking in. I had never thought of it that way. I had been taught all my life that muggle-borns were the scum of wizarding society, and that their removal would be an improvement to our world.

But the thought of my parents, or one of my brothers, _killing _Lily, who had been nothing but nice to me, despite the animosity I had felt towards her… was that what was really going on?

Sirius seemed to be watching me carefully for my response. "You were put in Gryffindor for a reason." He said, quietly, his anger starting to fade. "I know you were. Just because your name's Villori doesn't mean you have to be one of them."

That comment stuck. I backed away from Sirius, leaning against the wall heavily. Now it was my turn to laugh, but not from amusement. The noise was odd to my own ears. I sounded half-crazed, and I felt it too, as I stared at Sirius with wide eyes. "There's the heart of it, Black. My parents hate me. They've all but disowned me. I may not _be _a Villori for much longer as it is." I said, thinking back to my father's letter and the disgust that had all but emanated from the words on the paper.

His eyes narrowed. "Would that be such a bad thing?" he asked, quietly.

I could tell I was at a turning point. I thought of Lily again, dead by my father's hands. The countless other people that would no doubt be murdered by my family's and Voldemort's orders. It was, in essence, the dark side.

But I thought of my pride to be part of such a powerful family. The respect I had been treated with by every pureblood who I came into contact with. The proud gaze of my father as I sat by his side during dinner, his favorite treasure.

And I just didn't know. I looked up at Sirius, who was still watching me, his eyes imploring. For some reason I didn't understand, Sirius wanted me on his side. The light side.

But I found myself in an area of gray. While part of me was desperate for my family's approval and the pride and standing that went with it, the thought of Lily dead once again left me feeling weak.

I gave Sirius a final glance as I started backing away down the hall, just as people started filing out of their classrooms, the hallway suddenly becoming a sea of students. "I don't know," I whispered softly, before turning around, losing myself in the crowd.


	5. Shock

**Author's Note**

New Chapter! So, in this one, some crazy stuff happens. But you'll see as you read!

As usual, I'd like to give a huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed! It is so nice and encouraging to hear feedback! Thank you so so so much!

Also, I'm going to try my hardest to update in the next few days, unfortunately though, I'm going to be at school from 6:30 in the morning until 10 at night every day this week until the weekend, as we have a few really big performances coming up. That, my friends, is the life of a musician! Craziness! I'll do my best though! Just please, please, please don't think I've forgotten about you guys! Updates will most definitely come!

Alrighty, then, please read, enjoy, and review! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

* * *

><p><strong>5. Shock<strong>

The next week passed in a blur of endless essays, lonely afternoons in the library, and me mulling over my argument with Sirius over and over in my head, analyzing it one hundred different ways.

That conversation—and really that entire day's events—seemed to have planted a seed in my brain. I had been taught to believe that the life of a mud-blood, and especially a muggle-born, meant next to nothing. Spilled blood was only significant if it was pure.

But now I wasn't so sure. Sirius's argument was a thorn in my side. Sooner or later I was going to have to decide what _I_ thought. Because I was starting to realize that maybe beliefs were not hereditary.

But things were not just black and white, at least not for me, and at least not yet. I still yearned for my father's approval, to see that proud look on his face when I showed my worth once more.

But when I glanced over during class or at supper and happened to catch Lily's eye, and she would wave like we were old friends…

If there was one thing I knew sure, it was that Lily Evans, and other people like her, should not die. Nice, intelligent people like Lily deserved a spot in the wizarding world.

_So what do I do now? _I thought as I got dressed before going down to breakfast the following Monday. I found myself agreeing with most of what Sirius had said to me a week ago, yet I was still attached to my family. I wanted the Villori name, but not the blood-supremacist attitude that went with it.

Everything was just too damn complicated these days.

I made my way down Gryffindor Tower, entering the Great Hall and took my usual spot, alone, near the end of the long Gryffindor table. Lily, Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter sat a few meters away.

I was beginning to find that watching their little group was incredibly interesting.

Lily seemed to have a friend in Remus, who I had noticed myself was a very nice, down-to-earth person, much like Lily herself. However, Remus seemed to be good friends with James and Sirius. And even I had noticed—despite having not talked to a soul practically the entire week I had been here—that James Potter was absolutely smitten with Lily Evans.

The way he looked at her was like a man seeing the sun for the first time. It was sweet. Or would be sweet, if he wasn't constantly trying to get her attention with lame pick-up lines and over-dramatic declarations of love.

The poor guy was shot down on a daily basis.

Lily was nothing more than cordial to Sirius, which I suspected was not necessarily because she disliked him, but more because he tried to play the part of James's wing-man, which never went well.

Peter just kind of sat there, and laughed at their jokes.

And although I was not _friends_, so to speak, with any of them, I think we had a mutual understanding.

Lily, despite my initial misgivings, was sweet and an excellent roommate. She was neat, quiet, and left me in peace. We hadn't spoken since the day we met, besides the occasional polite "good morning" and "hello" when we found ourselves in the other's company in the dorm room, but I was relatively sure that maybe one day far in the future, Lily and I could be friends.

Sirius Black was another, albeit rather similar, story. We weren't friends, yet I believe we had a mutual respect for the other. He stuck to his beliefs and didn't let his parents dictate his life, while I was just trying to figure out exactly what my beliefs _were_. I think he understood, more than anyone, what I was going through. Perhaps one day I would call him a friend as well.

_One day_, I thought, as I added some blueberries to my oatmeal and checked over my potions essay one last time, determined to catch even the slightest flaw. _But not today_.

At that very moment the owls arrived. It was really quite a sight, to see all those owls come swooping into the great hall, and to watch all the newspapers and boxes and letters they brought with them submit to gravity and cascade down onto your breakfast.

Daily Prophets were falling everywhere as I patiently waited for my own copy. It wasn't exactly light reading, but the Prophet was usually my main source of information when it came to the war, which seemed to only grow larger by the day.

But, I felt a strange prickling feeling on the back of my neck as the owls swooped overhead and I sat quietly, awaiting my newspaper. My fellow students began muttering and whispering to each other, and with a sinking heart I began to realize that they all seemed to be sending surreptitious glances my way.

Panic began to rise in my chest. I glanced to my right and watched as a Prophet fell into Lily's lap and she looked at it curiously, Sirius, who was sitting beside her, peering over her shoulder at it. I watched, horror-struck, as the color-drained from their faces and they both turned to look at me, wide-eyed.

Finally, as my heart beat like a drum and I could feel my hands begin to shake, the Prophet landed with a _thud_ on the table right in front of me. I could feel the eyes of every single person in the room on me as I lifted the prophet and felt my blood run cold as I stared at the front page, and the bold-print that screamed the headline:

_VILLORI HEIR MURDERS SIX MUGGLE-BORNS_

* * *

><p><em>Roy Villori, the eldest son of Samson Villori, the richest wizard in Britain and suspected Dark Lord-supporter, was captured by ministry aurors during a struggle outside a home in Rochester, where inside the remains of six muggle-born witches and wizards, ranging from ages 18 to 54, were found. Names are not being released at this time.<em>

_ Villori, who was confirmed to have a dark mark tattooed on his forearm, admitted to these murders during questioning, but then managed to escape after a breach of security. His current whereabouts are unknown._

I stood, shaking hard. I couldn't think. I could hardly breathe. How could this happen?

I felt everyone's eyes on me as I started walking towards the exit to the Great Hall, trying my best not to break down then and there.

But I could feel the sobs coming, preparing to tear through my body and my soul. My walk became a jog, faster and faster, until I was sprinting, desperate to get out.

I flew through the huge doorway just as I broke down, the tears coming hard as I struggled to breathe or even stay standing in the middle of the corridor. _Too much, too much, too much… _were the only thoughts I could string together.

So I simply stood just outside of the Great Hall, unable to move or think or say anything, feeling myself being torn apart by the very thought of… of…

I felt a strong hand on my shoulder and looked up and into a set of deep blue-gray eyes, staring at me with something near pity.

"Sirius," I choked out, just as another huge sob cut through me. I leaned into him heavily, not caring why he was there or what he thought of me. I just needed something to hang on to.

He put a steadying arm around my shoulders and led me into an unused classroom across the corridor, closing the door behind him and slowly easing us onto one of the benches that lined the room. He kept his arm around me and I buried my head in his chest, letting the sobs rake through my body, gasping for air, knowing nothing but sadness and guilt and pain.

I tried to come to terms with the words—those horrible, horrible words—that had been printed on the paper.

Six muggle-borns. Murder. Villori.

I'm not sure how long I sat there, holding onto Sirius Black, letting him rock me back and forth and whisper comforting things in my ear, telling me everything would be okay.

But how could it? My brother, a man I had looked up to since I was old enough to walk, had killed six people in cold blood. They were gone, because of him, and for no good reason. He had probably killed more than that. How had I been so blind? How had I not known that my own _brother_ was a death eater?

Now it made sense, as my sobbing started to subside and I took long, deep breaths, trying to clear my head. My family supported Voldemort, they agreed with his cause, they practically funded the entire operation. It was only logical that my brothers would be death eaters, and my father was probably a member of their ranks as well.

I felt sick just thinking about it. How many innocent people had died because of my family? How many were going to, before this war was all over?

I started crying again.

It must have been an hour that I had been in this position, clinging to Sirius, probably ruining his robes, and trying to make sense of this latest catastrophe.

Finally I plucked up the courage to glance up at Sirius. He looked down at me, his eyes sad. "I'm sorry," I sniffled, wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my robes and glancing at his tear-stained shirt and tie. I moved over on the bench, putting a bit of space between us.

"Don't be," he said, a little grimly, standing and offering me a hand. I took it, and he lifted me up, putting his arm around my shoulders again in a brotherly offering of support. I leaned into him gratefully, blinking back tears. I didn't understand why he was comforting me, or really why he had followed me out of the Great Hall in the first place, but I was grateful. I didn't know if I would have been able to deal with any of this on my own.

We walked back into the corridor, which was now empty, seeing as everyone else was in their classes. "You've missed your class," I said softly, as we made our way up towards Gryffindor tower.

"It doesn't matter." He told me, his grip tightening almost imperceptibly on my shoulders. I didn't know where this newfound protectiveness was coming from. Both times Sirius and I had ever spoken, we had been practically at each other's throats. Now, he was the only source of comfort I had. It didn't make sense, but I wasn't going to question it.

I closed my eyes for a second as we stopped and waited for a staircase to change. But, the millisecond I did, an image popped into my head, one I never wanted to even think about.

Roy, laughing hysterically, as he had his wand pointed at an 18 year old girl cowering in the corner, a look of sheer terror in her eyes as she watched him say the spell that would surely end her.

I sucked in a quick breath and my eyes shot open, but the image lingered, even as I tried desperately to block it from my mind. That look in her eyes… the sickening grin on my brother's face…

_Too much, too much, too much…_ I thought again, as the sobs began to attack my body once more. Sirius was practically keeping me standing now with his strong arms as we made it down the last hallway and into the Gryffindor common room, whispering encouragingly as we went.

I couldn't hold back the tears for the second time that day, and at first I was crying too hard to even notice Lily approaching us, a devastatingly concerned look on her face as she came and wrapped her arm around my shoulders as well.

"I've got her," she said quietly to Sirius, starting to lead me towards the girls' dormitory.

"Are you sure?" he answered, a matching expression on his own face. "I can stay. I want to make sure—"

"We're good, Sirius." said Lily, calmly, as we started climbing the old wooden stairs. "She needs to be in her own bed, somewhere familiar. And I'm sorry, but I don't know the spell to de-jinx the stairwell anyway."

He seemed oddly put-out, but agreed. "Alright," he said, and as I shot a glance back at him, a little upset myself that we had to part, I could see through my tears that he was standing in the common room, looking dejected with his head bent and his hands in his pocket.

"You can see her later, I promise." called Lily as we made it to the landing and went into our dorm.

She helped me lay down in my bed, her expression somber and kind, as I curled up there, still crying and exhausted. "Can you sleep?" she asked softly, as she pulled up the blankets on my bed and tucked them around me.

I tried to close my eyes, only to be met with another onslaught of images, envisioning the murders my brother had committed once again.

I let out a muffled cry, followed by a fresh wave of sobs, as I again imagined the terror in that girl's gaze, and the maniacal sparkle of glee in my brother's.

Lily sighed, sitting down next to me on the bed and softly brushing the hair back from my face. It was such a motherly thing to do, and I felt myself relaxing instantly. "It's alright, Adeline." she said softly, giving me a small, sad smile as I blinked up at her with tear-filled eyes. "It's not your fault. We'll take care of you now. You aren't one of them."

I felt my eyes closing as she said these things. They were exactly what I needed to hear. Exactly what would put my mind to rest.

I slipped into a deep sleep, my thoughts finally free of visions of murder and hate, telling myself again and again "_I am not one of them"_.


	6. Opportunity

**Author's Note**

Don't hate me! I know I've been really slow getting this chapter out but here it is! I sincerely apologize. With finals coming up and a bunch of winter concerts and performances for band, life has just been crazy. However, these things will be over soon and I'll have MUCH more time to write, I swear!

Alright, now that I've gotten that desperate plea of forgiveness out of the way, please enjoy this chapter! It was hard to write for some reason, but its pretty long and I think the ending is not bad. It definitely make things interesting. Also Sirius is being totally adorable, though I can't guarantee it will last. But, oh my gosh, I love him!

A huge thanks to everyone who has reviewed and favorited this story! Let me just say that I am completely blown away by the support! Thanks so much!

Alrighty guys, here's the story! Read, enjoy, and review! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

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><p><strong>6. Opportunity<strong>

I woke some time later, around late-afternoon. I sat up, bleary-eyed, and my gaze fell upon Lily, sitting in her own bed with books and pieces of paper strewn all around her.

"Hi," I said softly, blinking away tears as the memories of this morning came rushing back into focus; the newspaper, the murders, and the pain of it all. But I was determined not to cry. I'd done enough for one day.

It wasn't something I was used to, either. I never cried. I took things in stride, I kept my emotions hidden. I felt a brief flash of shame as I thought back to the hysterical state I had been in this morning, but a voice in my head told me there was no helping it. You just couldn't hold something like that in.

"Hi," said Lily, setting down the book in her hands and coming over to sit on the edge of my bed. "How are you feeling?"

I bit my lip, trying to think of an answer. Ashamed of my family? Betrayed? Haunted by the very thought?

"Resolved." I finally said, meeting Lily's eye and feeling, for the first time in a while, totally at peace with myself. My life, my future, and my beliefs had absolutely flipped in the past week, but I had never been surer about things.

Today's events had just verified something I had subconsciously known for a while: _I was not like my family_.

I might look like them and share the same name, but I didn't believe in the hateful and ignorant ideals that they had devoted their lives to preserving. I may be the sister of Roy Villori, but I could never kill an innocent person in cold blood, just to assert my non-existent superiority over witches and wizards who had every right to live in peace.

My family and their friends might be the cause of this war, but no longer was I fighting on their side. Because, if the horrible events of this morning had any positive effects, it was that they had solidified one idea for me: _I was not one of them._

* * *

><p>"Dumbledore came by while you were sleeping." Lily told me as we both readied ourselves for dinner a few minutes later. "He was very concerned about you and apologetic that he couldn't have helped sooner."<p>

I nodded, expecting this. I figured that since virtually every idea my parents had tried to instill in me since birth had turned out to be hate-filled, supremacist crap, Dumbledore was probably not the crazy liar I had been led to see him as. "What did you tell him?" I asked as I brushed my hair and slid my black ankle boots on.

"That you were in capable hands." she said simply, smiling at me. "And that you would be sure to speak to him at some point."

"Thank you." I told her as we both headed for the door, "honestly. I'm not used to…" I trailed off, almost embarrassed.

"Having someone look out for you?" she asked, her hand on the door knob, though she made no move to turn it. Instead, she faced me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Adeline, I'll always be here to look out for you. As will Sirius, and the rest of the boys. You're one of us now. You aren't alone anymore."

I felt tears well up in my eyes for what seemed like the millionth time that day and blinked them away before any could fall. I surprised myself by suddenly leaning forward and hugging Lily tightly, feeling slightly overcome. But then again, I had been surprising myself a lot lately.

* * *

><p>I descended the stairs slowly behind Lily, my stomach in knots. This morning was still fresh in my mind, as was the memory of my fellow students' faces as they saw the newspaper headline and stared at me in disgust and shock. If I hadn't already been a social oddity from the start, with my lineage and the behavior I had exhibited during the past week, I was surely the most hated girl in school now that this morning's news had confirmed everyone's suspicions about my family: the Villori were vicious, Dark Lord-worshipping murderers, and I was one of them.<p>

But I wasn't _really_, or at least, not any more. But they didn't know that, and I had no idea how to tell them. If I was being honest, I was terrified to enter the Great Hall and face them once again.

To my relief, the Gryffindor common room was empty—save one person—when Lily and I reached it. Sirius Black got up from the chair he had been sitting in the second he saw us and was by our sides in an instant.

I felt my cheeks flush as our eyes met, his full of silent questions that I knew would have to be answered.

"How are you?" he asked, as the three of us made our way across the room and out into the corridor, I suppose trying to get the simple one out of the way.

"Better," I said, giving him an uncertain smile. He breathed a sigh of relief and I could see him relax visibly.

"Good." he said, grinning at me. "Very good."

"Yeah," I said, smiling back at him.

But my brief, happy mood vanished instantaneously as we reached the doorway that led into the Great Hall. For a moment I considered turning tail and running when Sirius put a gentle hand on the small of my back. "It's okay," he whispered in my ear as Lily began to open the door. "No one blames you. And anyway, I'm here."

I blushed for the second time that day as I began walking forward at the gentle urging of Sirius. It was a strange comment for him to make, seeing as we really barely even knew each other, yet it left me feeling completely at ease. Maybe it stemmed from our shared experience from this morning, as I had cried my heart out in his arms, but I felt oddly close to him despite our very recent friendship.

A hush filled the room as we entered, all eyes turning to watch our little group, and more specifically, me.

Sirius kept close to me as we made our way over to the place where James, Remus, and Peter were eating and sat down across from them, Sirius and Lily on either side of me. I breathed a sigh of relief as little conversations started to resume all around us, though many students were still sending curious glances over at me.

It felt odd to be sitting among friends, but I found, as conversation between our little group of six flowed among a great many topics and no one said a word about this morning, for which I was amazingly grateful, that I thoroughly enjoyed the feeling.

I vaguely wondered, as I munched thoughtfully on the first food I had eaten in nearly twenty four hours, how odd this new seating arrangement seemed to my fellow classmates. Were they confused as to why I suddenly seemed to be friends with Sirius Black, the pure-blood clan run-away, and Lily Evans, a muggle-born, as well as all their friends? Were they as shocked as I was that I had not only recovered from this morning's horrible events but was now suddenly accepted into the Gryffindor social circle?

_Probably_, I mused.

* * *

><p>Before long dinner was over and people began leaving the Great Hall, heading to their dormitories for some last-minute studying or much needed sleep. We were all getting ready to leave ourselves when I felt a long-fingered hand on my shoulder.<p>

"Miss Villori," said Professor McGonagall from behind me. I cringed at the name, which now seemed so sinister and full of hate, and I could see Sirius clinching his jaw out of the corner of my eye as I turned around to face McGonagall, who, by the look on her face, also regretted her choice of words.

She cleared her throat. "Adeline."

"Yes, Professor?" I responded, and even though Lily and the other boys had already made it to the entrance of the Great Hall, I noticed Sirius hanging back, waiting for me.

"Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office." she told me in her matter-of-fact tone of voice. She then gave me an apologetic smile before turning on her heel and departing through a side-door.

I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair, the good mood I had developed from dinner evaporating as I considered what this meeting with Dumbledore would entail. I didn't know if I was able to face this discussion by myself.

That was, until I felt a hand on my arm and turned around to gaze into the clear blue eyes of Sirius Black. "You want me to come with you?" he murmured, nodding his head in the direction of Dumbledore's office.

I didn't hesitate. I needed support now more than ever. "Yeah, thanks."

* * *

><p>We made our way into the headmaster's office side by side, not quite touching but close enough that I could feel his warm presence emanating towards me. Instantly, I was at ease.<p>

Dumbledore greeted us with a smile, although his eyes betrayed him. He seemed almost guilty. But it certainly wasn't _his_ fault that my brother had decided to go on a murderous rampage. I wondered if something else was plaguing Dumbledore's thoughts.

Sirius and I sat down in two purple-velvet chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk, and he eyed me thoughtfully for a second before speaking. "Miss Adeline. May I first say that I am deeply sorry for the tumultuous events that occurred this morning. I can only imagine how upset you were at the news, and I sincerely regret the fact that you were informed of it in such a horrible manner." He finished this little speech with a curious glance at me, as though trying to figure out how upset I _had _been in the first place.

"It's okay, Professor." I told him, returning his gaze sincerely. "It was a huge shock, but Sirius and Lily have been extremely comforting."

He nodded, apparently content with my answer, and I could see a glimmer of hope in his eye, although that look of guilt was equally present. "Am I correct in assuming, then, that you are maybe not as loyal to the Villori name and cause as you once were?" he asked.

I sucked in a quick breath at the bluntness of my question, and glanced quickly at Sirius. Of course I didn't condone murdering other witches and wizards and felt nothing but disgust towards my family, but there was something about putting that thought into words that made me hesitate slightly. But when my eyes met Sirius's and I saw nothing but confidence and quiet encouragement looking back at me, I made my resolve final.

"Yes, Professor." I said determinedly, holding Dumbledore's gaze unflinchingly. "that is exactly correct. I am nothing like my family."

He nodded, smiling at me and Sirius. "Good. I knew that from the start. The sorting hat made an excellent decision when it placed you in Gryffindor, Adeline…" his smile faltered a bit, and my heart sunk. I had a feeling that the reason for Dumbledore's guilt would shortly be revealed.

My fears were confirmed a moment later when he continued speaking. "There is, however, a slight complication."

I felt Sirius stiffen beside me and I too froze in my seat, dreading what Dumbledore would say next. "What is it, Professor?" I asked quietly.

Dumbledore sighed and adjusted his glasses, looking tired as he fixed me with a serious and regretful stare. "There is a secret order, called the Order of the Phoenix, that is dedicated to the destruction of Lord Voldemort and his followers. We met a few hours ago and came to a decision—one I did not support—involving you, and your future."

"Me?" I asked, confused. Why would the Order of the Phoenix be discussing _me?_

"Yes." said Dumbledore. "Adeline, you must understand that you are in a unique position. You are a Villori by all official means, though you may no longer consider yourself one. In essence, you are a member of the dark side's inner circle. And, the Order has decided that I shall ask you to do an extremely dangerous task, although you have every right to decline…" he trailed off for a moment, and I saw Sirius clench his jaw and ball his fists beside me, apparently already guessing what Dumbledore was going to ask of me, although I myself was completely clueless.

"Adeline, what we ask of you is to spend your winter holidays at the Villori house, pretending as though you are still a loyal member of the family. While you are there, you must try to gather any information you possibly can, pertaining to Voldemort and your family's plans. Basically, we are asking you to play the role of a double agent."

I felt my stomach drop. All day, ever since learning the truth about my murderous family, I had been comforted by the fact that I could separate myself from them once and for all. I would never have to be in the presence of my blood-thirsty family and their friends ever again.

But now, Dumbledore was asking me to do exactly that, but for the good of the entire wizarding world.

"Absolutely not!" Sirius practically yelled from beside me, rising out of his chair and glaring at the remarkably calm Dumbledore across from him. "That is way too dangerous! Headmaster, how could you possibly request something like that from a sixteen year-old student?"

Dumbledore sighed, his gaze traveling back and forth between an angry Sirius and myself. "I agree wholeheartedly, young Mr. Black. Unfortunately, it is the hope of the Order that Adeline will accept this task." He looked at me, his eyes calm. "Adeline, you are a courageous, talented young witch, in an opportune position. You are a trusted member of the Villori house, and the information you collect there could be of dire importance to the Order and the future of our world. On behalf of the Order of the Phoenix, I must ask this of you."

Sirius was shaking his head, looking at me desperately, while I kept my gaze firmly fixed on Dumbledore, my thoughts racing. The idea of being back at the Villori house—especially after my recent fall from my father's good graces—terrified me. But then I thought of the people I could possibly save from carrying out this task. The image of the eighteen year-old girl my brother had killed in cold-blood came rushing into my mind again, and I suddenly knew that this decision was easy. I hadn't been able to save her, but maybe I could save others like her.

I lifted my gaze, fear and determination coursing through my veins as I answered Dumbledore in a steady voice.

"I'll do it."


	7. Feuds

**Author's Note**

Well, folks, here it is! Chapter 7! Not much to say about this one, it's a little shorter but I'm quite proud of it.

I would also like to give a HUGE thanks to everyone who has reviewed, as usual. You are all lovely, lovely people, and your support is what makes me want to keep writing!

So yep, pretty short author's note for this chapter, partly because I have an AP Chem test to study for. Yay thermodynamics!

Alright, as always read, enjoy, and please please please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

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><p><strong>7. Feuds<strong>

I returned from Dumbledore's office to find Lily curled up in the common room by the fire, a book in her hands, waiting up for us. She looked up as Sirius and I entered, smiling faintly though she wore a confused and worried expression. I walked over and sat beside her on the couch, turning my gaze to Sirius. He walked determinedly across the room, saying nothing to either of us as he reached the stairs to his dormitory and climbed them in stony silence.

"He's mad at me." I said simply, as Lily looked from me to the stairs and back again, her brow furrowed.

"I could tell as much." she said, setting her book on the table next to us and crossing her legs Indian-style. She casted a quick glance around, and when she was assured that we were definitely the only two people left in the common room, she turned her focus back on me. "Alright, start from the beginning."

I told Lily all about the events of the night since we had parted in the Great Hall, and as I finished my story she sighed heavily and ran a hand through her hair. "What a mess." she said somberly.

"Should I have said no?" I asked, my voice low. I knew it was a rash and dangerous decision, to be a double-agent against my own family, but I couldn't bring myself to regret it. Every time I began to doubt myself, the image of the girl my brother had killed would pop into my head and I was filled with renewed determination. I knew I could do this.

Lily was silent for a moment before she finally replied. "I think you did the right thing. You're brave, Adeline. It's in your nature." she smiled at me kindly.

I nodded, playing with the ends of my hair. My gaze wandered back to the staircase by which Sirius had left and I sighed heavily. "He didn't speak to me the whole walk back." I told Lily, not meeting her eye.

"Well, it's rather obvious why." Lily said, raising her eyebrows at me. My look of confusion asking for more clarification, she went on to say, "Oh, come on, Adeline! He's scared of losing you."

I blinked a few times. What an odd thing to say. "That's ridiculous." I finally managed to tell her, rolling my eyes.

"But it's not." she said, looking at me with a serious expression on her face. "He cares for you."

"He's a player." I shot back, trying to convince myself as much as Lily. "He cares about getting laid."

"He hasn't had a girlfriend since he met you." she said, matter-of-factly.

"And I heard Priscilla Trumann tell her friend in Potions that she and Sirius hooked up in a broom closet last week." I told her, crossing my arms smugly, though now that I thought about it, a small part of me was slightly disappointed. Sirius Black may be the man-whore of the school, but the way he had stayed by me today was endearing to say the least.

"That was a week ago. Believe me, I've known Sirius a long time. He takes care of what he holds close to his heart."

"Yet now he is completely ignoring my existence. Yes, Lily, you have convinced me." I shot back, a giggle escaping me, though deep down the fact that Sirius wasn't speaking to me was definitely hard to swallow. He had been so sweet earlier today when he had comforted me and stayed by my side.

"Which brings me back to my original argument," Lily said, laughing a bit herself. "He wants to keep you safe! He doesn't want you being all brave and selfless if it means you could get hurt."

My smile faded a bit as I considered this. "I could get hurt." I said softly, messing with the hem of my shirt and not looking at Lily. "But Sirius being upset with me hurts too."

"I know." said Lily with a sigh, reaching out and squeezing my hand gently. "He'll come around." she stood, picking up her book. "Now come on. We have class early tomorrow. Let's get some sleep and figure out your love problems later."

* * *

><p>Two days later Sirius was still distant and brooding. He barely said a word to me, and I became even more withdrawn myself.<p>

"Why is he acting like this?" I asked Lily as we got ready to go to dinner on the third day since the meeting with Dumbledore and my agreement to go along with the Order's request. "I didn't do anything to him!"

"He's upset, Adeline. He's hardly been talking to anybody lately, James and Remus included." she said, with the utmost patience, running a brush through her long red hair. "You need to talk to him."

I spun around to stare at my friend, frustrated. "_Why? _He's being ridiculous! He's always going on about the war and how we need to fight for the good side, but the second I get the opportunity to actually _do something_ he freaks out! It's absurd!"

Lily, ever calm, merely smirked and pointed her hair brush at me. "And that, my dear, is exactly what you need to tell him."

* * *

><p>Dinner was an altogether somber affair, as Sirius's bad mood seemed to bring everyone down. James wasn't even on top of his game: he barely tried to flirt with Lily.<p>

I felt Sirius's eyes on me most of the time, though I made no indication that I even knew he was there. I couldn't believe that he had been so kind, so unbelievably caring to me three days ago, and now he would hardly speak a word to me. I was hurt, whether I wanted to admit it or not.

Finally, after a long ten minutes of me being watched mournfully, Lily trying to make forced conversation with Remus and, in a state of pure desperation, James as well, and Peter stuffing his face joyously with Sheppard's pie, Sirius stood up, muttered a good-bye, and walked quickly out of the hall.

For a moment the five of us watched him go, but in the blink of an eye, suddenly everyone had turned to look expectantly at me.

"Oh come on!" I said, holding up my hands in protest. "This is not my problem."

James and Lily simultaneously raised their eyebrows at me. I groaned.

"Bloody hell." I muttered as I abandoned my dinner and followed Sirius's path out of the Great Hall and onto the school grounds.

* * *

><p>"Black!" I shouted at the tall figure leaning against a tree, arms crossed, twenty feet from me, overlooking the lake.<p>

He turned to watch me as I finally reached him and went to stand in from him, determined to set things right. "So," I said, as he stared at me sullenly, not the happy-go-lucky Sirius I had come to know. "we need to talk."

Sirius sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I guess." he said, not meeting my gaze.

I rolled my eyes at his behavior and decided to not beat around the bush. "I would very much like to know why you are suddenly so mad at me." I said, trying to sound brisk and unemotional, though I doubt I succeeded. "I didn't do anything to you. I actually thought that we were friends."

He looked up at that, finally meeting my gaze, and I could see the surprise and turmoil in his eyes. "We are friends." he said, blinking a few times.

I gave an exasperated sigh. "Then what's your deal?" I asked bluntly, throwing my arms out for effect. God, for someone so intelligent, Sirius Black was dense.

He stared at me blankly for a moment before frowning and looking down at the ground, scooting the wet soil around with the heel of his tennis shoe. "I have no deal." he mumbled.

I gave a sarcastic laugh. "Bloody hell, Black, do you want me to guess? Alright, let's see. Did you lose your favorite pair of socks? Did you fail a test? Did someone prank you? Please, pray tell, what in God's name has you wallowing in the pits of despair?" I was near shouting at this point, close to hysterical. All the frustration from the past few days, as Sirius had gone from the person I trusted most to someone who could barely look at me, was bubbling to the surface and fueling my anger.

"You agreed." he said quietly, finally looking up at me with that grey-blue gaze. "You agreed to Dumbledore's request, even though it's dangerous and could get you hurt and maybe even killed! How could you do that?" he was shouting too, striding forward a couple paces, his blue eyes locked on my green ones.

So Lily had been right all along.

"It was my decision to make." I shot back, refusing to back down. "It was my decision to help the wizarding world, just like you're always talking about! I couldn't live with myself if I had given up this chance! And they're my family, Black, they aren't going to kill me. If I thought they were going to bloody _murder _me I wouldn't just walk into their arms! Have some sense! Don't just ignore me for three straight days, like I mean _nothing_!"

He opened his mouth to yell back at me, but then appeared to think better of it. He backed up a step or two and slumped against the tree, resuming his position from before, though now he was looking at me, his eyes regretful. "You don't mean nothing." he said, smiling sadly at me. "Quite the contrary. I've just been terrified these past few days. Scared that something will happen to you."

He watched me warily for a few seconds as I took a deep, calming breath. "I'm sorry." I finally said, feeling regretful myself, although I knew there was nothing that could be done about it. "But I have to do this. I'll be alright."

He looked past me, hands in his pockets, gazing out over the lake, his stare thoughtful. "Yeah, I guess you will." His eyes met mine and he gave me an apologetic smile. "I suppose ignoring you was just my way of trying to deal with this whole thing. You were finally out of the clutches of your family and got dragged back in. I panicked. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." I told him, feeling the air clear and sighing softly in relief. "Now come on. Let's get back to the castle before James and Lily tear each others' heads off."


	8. Amazing

**Author's Note**

Okay, I know, it's been forever. Don't hate me! I'm so sorry! Crazy stuff has happened in my personal life, not to mention the fact that my parents have decided to move our family to Europe next year. I also have been really busy with my music, and I broke up with my boyfriend, and then my laptop broke! And I could go on and on but I have a feeling no one really cares, haha :)

The point is, things have been hectic lately, and really aren't getting much calmer, but I'm determined to keep writing, because honestly it's the only thing keeping me sane these days! And, this isn't exactly the longest chapter ever, but I'm easing back into things after such a long (sorry again!) break. Originally I was planning on having Adeline's home-coming in this chapter and all the madness that goes with it, but somehow this scene morphed itself into a chapter itself. So yeah, it's shorter than the others, but hey, it's something! Also, check my profile for a pic of Adeline's gift!

Read, enjoy, and review! :) Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

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><p><strong>8. Amazing<strong>

"Something feels off." Sirius muttered, not for the first time, as our little group stood in front of the Hogwarts Express after its long journey, saying our last goodbyes.

I ignored his worry, which was only making me feel more on edge, as I hugged Remus, James, Peter, and Lily goodbye for the holidays.

"Be safe." Lily said as she pulled away, looking at me sternly, like she was my mother. "Don't do anything rash. Get out of there at the first sign of trouble. I mean it, Addy."

"I know." I said, smiling reassuringly and trying to hide my nerves. "I'll be fine."

She nodded once more, then walked over to where Remus was waiting for her. With a last wave goodbye from my red-headed friend, I turned to find myself alone with the tall, handsome, and brooding Sirius Black. He was looking at me with the most solemn expression I had ever seen him wear. It unnerved me.

He sighed, his eyes studying my face, before he suddenly stepped forward and hugged me tightly.

I was caught by surprise. Since that day a few weeks ago, when I had found out the truth about my family in probably the worst way possible and he had held me in his arms while I cried, we had barely touched.

I made to return the hug, but by that point he was already pulling away, and I could have _sworn_ I saw a faint blush on his cheeks. I looked around embarrassingly and couldn't help but notice the faces of a few muggle girls contort in jealousy.

I barely registered that fact before my eyes were drawn back to Sirius's big blue ones.

"I don't feel right about this." he said, his spontaneous display of affection forgotten as once again he stared at me with that brooding expression. "Adeline, I'm telling you, something's going to go wrong." he ran a hand absent mindedly through his hair, brows furrowed. "How do you know that your father has forgiven you for being put in Gryffindor? How do you know they aren't going to force you to join their ranks and—"

I cut Sirius off before he could bring all my own fears back to the surface. I couldn't afford to think about the what-if's, even if they were rational and maybe even probable. I had to be strong, and brave, if I wanted to help win this war. "Sirius." I said, holding up a hand to stop him. "I know my family, okay? And I know what I'm doing. You have to stop worrying."

For a moment he looked like he was going to object, but then he heaved a heavy sigh and nodded slightly. "Alright, Addy. It's your call." His eyes changed then, going from troubled to almost playful, and maybe even a bit nervous. "One last thing then, before you go?"

I looked up at him warily, crossing my arms. "What?" I asked, staring at the boy who looked like he had some kind of trick up his sleeve.

"Your Christmas present of course, silly." he told me with a cocky grin, pulling something out of his pocket that looked suspiciously like a jewelry box.

"Oh." I said, dumbfounded. "You don't need to give me any kind of—"

"Oh, but I did." he told me, grinning wickedly and more or less forcing the box into my hands. "Open it."

I sighed, knowing Sirius probably had some kind of practical joke awaited me—possibly mini-fireworks exploding in my face or a jet of water squirting up my nose.

What I was not expecting was a gorgeous necklace with a big green emerald set in the center, framed by silver, a delicate chain threaded through it.

I glanced at Sirius in shock. He seemed to be watching me, gauging my reaction carefully.

I felt unable to speak. Of course, my parents, my father especially, often give me—or used to, anyway—expensive gifts. But there was something so special about this one. Or was it that the person who _gave_ it to me was special?

"Do you like it?" he asked nonchalantly, but I could _just_ detect that note of concern in his voice, that gave away the fact that he was waiting with baited breath for my opinion.

"Oh, Sirius." I said, quietly. "It's gorgeous. Thank you." I gave him a hug, quick enough that he could hardly react before I was pulling away.

I quickly clasped the necklace around my neck, then smiled shyly up at him, before remembering myself.

"What the heck are you doing, getting me something so expensive?" I admonished him, the embarrassment that I had forgotten in the beauty of my gift now surfacing, pushing away the worrying voice in my head saying: _What is he doing, buying something like this for ME? I'm just his friend, nothing more…_

I tried to tell myself that all I was concerned about was the price. After all, the only thing I had gotten him was a broom-cleaning kit that he and James had been drooling over for weeks. It hadn't costed me more than twenty pounds, where as this necklace had to be hundreds.

"Relax, Addy! Merlin, can't a guy give his friend a pretty necklace without getting chewed out for it? I swear, I'll never understand women." he feigned annoyance, but at the same time he was grinning at me cockily.

I smirked at him despite myself. "No, you probably won't." I told him, absent-mindedly touching my necklace. It had a strange aura about it. It was almost like I could feel Sirius's happy, laughing spirit emanating out of the green pendant. "But really, it's beautiful. Thank you so much."

"No problem. I just saw it in the store, and the color reminded me of your eyes." he stared at me seriously, his probing gaze taking away from what was supposed to be a flippant statement, and making it seem like so much more. "They're so green…" he whispered now, half to himself, subconsciously stepping closer to me so that we were only inches apart. I could feel his warmth all around me, and in the blink of an eye, I was suddenly unaware of everything except the tall, black-haired, blue-eyed boy in front of me.

We held each other's gaze for a moment, both of us caught up in this weird, strange bond that had suddenly formed between us. I felt so safe, so surrounded, and so needed. It was like nothing I had ever felt before, and I wanted this moment to last forever, just staring at Sirius, and him returning my gaze.

"Padfoot! Oi! Come on now! We don't have all day!" James' voice rang through the crowd from where he was waiting for Sirius across the station, cutting through our private little world, shattering it and catching us both unawares.

We blinked rapidly, me laughing nervously and looking away while Sirius let out an almost wolf-like growl of frustration and ran a hand through his hair.

Sirius waved at James, telling him wordlessly to hold on for a moment, and faced me, a little breathlessly. "Um…" he said, in a very non-Sirius like, nervous manner, before he seemed to collect himself and stare at me with renewed feeling, maybe even desperation. "Be safe. Please, Adeline." his voice was begging. "And, well… if you find yourself in trouble… just hold on tight to that necklace, and think of me." He finished with a grin that wasn't exactly cocky, but held some humor."And yes," he finished, as we both laughed a little bit, our intense connection from moments earlier forgotten momentarily. "I know that is incredibly cheesy. But I mean it."

I nodded, gave him a last, quick hug, and thanked him once more for the necklace. "You know I have to do this." I said, as he picked up my hand bag that was sitting next to us on the ground of the train station and handed it to me.

He sighed, and finally nodded. "I know. I hate the idea, but it's your choice." He smiled at me, I smiled back, and we parted ways after a last goodbye, my thoughts on the beautiful necklace around my neck, and the amazing boy who had given it to me.


	9. Deceiver

**Author's Note**

Look at me! Two days of updating in a row! Woo! Anyway, here's the next chapter in _The Blood of Kings_. It's pretty long, and Adeline definitely goes through some inner turmoil during this chapter. So, without any further ado, here it is!

Also, please, please review! It inspires me to write more, and lately I've only gotten like one or two reviews a chapter, which is sad :( It doesn't have to be long, or even positive, just give me something! Thanks!

Read, enjoy, review! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

* * *

><p><strong>9. Deceiver<strong>

I was terrified as I stepped out of the town car that had driven me home from the train station and stood outside of the Villori Mansion. It seemed sick, really, that the one place I had always felt safe and at home was actually the headquarters of the dark side. What was even sicker was that I knew, and I was still going inside.

I tried not to dwell on these thoughts as one of the servants that waited on my family came to the door and opened it, allowing me to step over the threshold. My skin was prickling, the hairs on my arms standing up straight, and I had the urge to reach for my wand as I gazed around the giant foyer of the home I had once loved. Now I wanted to turn tail and run: I didn't belong here, and I knew it.

A door opened to my left, making me jump, and Roy came striding towards me, a big grin on his handsome face. "Adeline, wonderful to see you! I've so missed my little sister!" he engulfed me in a big hug as I fought the urge to push him off me.

It was almost surreal, seeing Roy. He was my brother, and a small, irrational part of me wanted to forget everything I knew about him now, and think of him only as the confident, powerful brother I had always idolized, not the sick, twisted murderer I knew that he was.

"Roy." I said, trying to keep my wits about me, and act like the Adeline that my family had come to recognize. "I've missed you too." My voice shook a little bit at the end from my own fear. Of course, he wasn't going to hurt me, but just seeing his face brought to mind everything from a few weeks ago, when I had imagined him killing that muggle-born girl, time and time again. The image, and everything about that day, still haunted me.

He must have detected that panicky note in my voice, because his smile faltered, if only for a moment. "Ah, so you've probably seen the news." He scratched the back of his neck, then shrugged. "Well, it's nothing for you to worry about. All will be explained soon! In the mean time, how about we go find everyone else? Dinner is about to be served, and I know everyone is dying to see you!"

He put a brotherly hand on my shoulder, steering me towards our large dining room, smiling at me reassuringly while I mulled over his words in my head. _All will be explained soon_! What did he mean by that? Could it be that everything the Prophet had said was just a big misunderstanding? My heart leapt at the thought, even as my brain told me that I was being ridiculous. My family was dark and murderous and I had to accept it.

We walked into the dining room and were greeted by smiles and greetings from my mother and other brothers, as well as a few family friends—_death eaters,_ I thought with a grimace—that often dined with my parents. Finally I came face to face with my father.

My dad, Samson Villori, is a tall, intimidating man with black hair and green eyes like mine. He's muscular, despite the fact that his hair was peppered with gray, and has a handsome face much like that of a fox. And he was as clever as a fox, to be sure. He hadn't become such an authoritative, rich, feared man just by chance.

I felt my palms start to sweat as a bit of a hush fell over the dinner party and I met my father's green eyes with my own. It was amazing to me, how I had gone from Samson Villori's pride and joy to a disgraced member of the family in so short an amount of time, but the enormity of that situation seemed to suddenly hang in the air.

"Hello, father." I said, holding my chin up a little higher in the air, a bit proudly, a bit defiantly, just as he had always taught his children to do. _"Never let anyone look down on you. You're a Villori, you must demand respect…"_—his words, spoken to me so many times during my childhood, rang in my ears as I stared up at my father.

He eyed me carefully for another moment before seeming to come to a decision. "Hello, Adeline. You seem well." He said with a nod, and I breathed an inward sigh of utter relief as the entire room seemed to relax around me. I might not be back completely in my father's good graces, but he had accepted me as a member of the family again, and I could now breathe easy.

We all sat around the table, me at my customary place between father and across from Roy, in a spot that so familiar to me that for the briefest of moments, I almost forgot that I had ever left at all. I felt like a _real _Villori again, with the pride and the riches and the respect that had followed me my entire life.

I ate my dinner mostly in silence, listening to the conversation that buzzed around me. Everyone was careful not to mention Hogwarts, lest my induction into the Gryffindor house suddenly come up, but in all honesty I barely even thought about Hogwarts or my friends there or even the reason I had come back to my family in the first place. I just allowed myself to be carried away by the feeling of acceptance. Sitting at a table surrounded by powerful, ambitious people, I thought of nothing else except what good jokes my brother told, and how my father's booming voice commanded the attention of every person in the room, and how happy I was to be sitting at his side again, his trusted, beloved daughter.

Dinner ended in good time, and I headed up to my room, snuggling into the covers of my big canopy bed and heaving a big sigh. _Nothing_ had been explained during dinner, I realized then, with a sinking feeling in my stomach. No one had even mentioned the murders or Roy's arrest or even the war. Had it really all been one big mistake, or was I missing something? My heart longed to believe the former, but my mind was telling me to be on my guard. I thought I had come so far in the past few weeks, making friends with Lily and Sirius and the rest of the marauders, changing my views on the entire wizarding world, but now I was feeling more confused than ever.

A week passed, and every day it seemed that my father and the rest of my family accepted me more and more into the Villori circle again. My father praised me, my mother smiled at me as she walked by, and my brothers told me jokes and treated me just as they had before.

I thought less of Sirius and Lily and Hogwarts all together as the days passed, assuring myself that everything had just been one big misunderstanding. There was no way that my father led the death eaters, he was too kind. There was no way Roy had killed those people, he was too outgoing, too personable. Sure, my family disliked muggle-borns, and maybe they sympathized with Voldemort's cause, but they weren't _that_ extreme.

I was in a happy mood on Christmas day, having received gifts of clothing and jewelry and candy from my brothers and parents. Around six o clock though, an hour before Christmas dinner was to be served, I was walking by Father's study when I heard a voice call out from inside. "Adeline," said my father. "Please come here for a moment."

I had been in my father's study only a handful of times, and I hesitated for a brief second, my hand on the door knob. This is where he conducted all his _dark_ business, I knew. But what did he want from me?

I shook my head gently, shrugging off these worries—he _was_ my father, after all—and stepped inside the dark room, looking up to see him sitting at his big mahogany desk, Roy leaning against a bookshelf near the back, smiling at me.

A shiver ran down my back, though I didn't know why. There was a feeling in the air that unnerved me, and my hand immediately flew to the emerald necklace Sirius had given me. I hadn't taken it off since the day he had given it to me, and even if I hadn't thought about my school friends in a while, the necklace, and the weird, Sirius-y aura that it seemed to give off, comforted me greatly. "Yes father?" I said quietly, peering at him from across the dark room.

"Adeline, sit down." said my father firmly, gesturing towards the seat in front of him. "I would like to talk to you about something."

I sat, looked at him expectantly, and he continued.

"Dear Adeline, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about for a while now." he said, as Roy crossed his arms behind him, looking rather menacing. "I was really hoping to wait until you were older, but since your little incident with the sorting hat at Hogwarts—" I cringed, "—I have been encouraged by many friends of mine to ensure your loyalty to our family's noble cause." he smiled at me here, as if we were sharing some special secret.

I stared back blankly, for once not understanding in the least what my father was trying to say. He must have noticed my lack of recognition, because he continued speaking, a little more firmly this time.

"What I am asking, dearest Adeline, is that you join our ranks. Your brothers, of course, as well as myself, have been the Dark Lord's servants for many years, and I assure you that you would be a greatly valued member of our little group." he smiled at me. "You're so very intelligent Adeline, and I have no doubt you _are_ loyal to us, though for a while there I was worried otherwise. You've done well, representing our family, and I know that you can shine by following in your brothers' footsteps, especially Roy. His efforts have done our family such honor in the past few weeks." at this point, Roy smiled as well.

I felt unable to speak, or breathe, or even move. My gaze traveled back and forth between the pleasant faces of my father and Roy, as they waited patiently for me to respond.

"I… um…" I finally managed to choke out, resisting the urge to scream and race out the door as fast as I could, as all the fear and distrust and revulsion I felt towards my family that I had so stupidly forgotten about over the past few days suddenly rushed back into my heart and mind like a giant tidal wave.

I don't know whether Father sensed my panic, or if he was too blinded by his own twisted ideals to notice, but he suddenly spoke, the slightest bit of warning in his voice. "It's a great honor, Adeline, so I understand if you're a bit shocked. But just think: with that mind of yours, and those skills, and goodness, your _blood_, you will rise through the ranks of the Death Eaters in the blink of an eye. The Dark Lord will like you very much, I'm certain of it. This is where you belong, dear. Don't try to fight it."

His words seemed like they were meant to comfort, but I could detect the hidden warning behind them, and those unspoken words made my stomach twist.

"_You don't have a choice, Adeline. Join, or else."_


	10. Madness

**Author's Note**

So, here's the next chapter in _The Blood of Kings_. :) It's super long! Or at least, long for me. haha :) Enjoy!

Also, I would so so so like to thank everyone for the reviews! They were all so kind and inspirational! I can't even begin to describe how much they mean to me!

And, unfortunately, I can't guarantee how much I'll be able to post in the next three or four days, because I have some big music rehearsals coming up. Like 9 hour long rehearsals. It's scary stuff!

Alright, I've babbled enough! Here's chapter 10!

As always: read, enjoy, review!

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

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><p><strong>10. Madness<strong>

My heart felt like it was going to burst right out of my chest from beating so fast, as I stood in the middle of my room staring into my full length mirror, and not recognizing the girl looking back at me.

It was eerily reminiscent of that night during the summer, the night that my father had told me I would be attending Hogwarts. Then I had been naïve, convinced that the Villori way of life, with its obsession with power and blood and purity, was the only one that really counted. Now, as I stood in the very same spot nearly six months later, that seemed like a lifetime ago. My eyes were open now to what was really good in the world: acceptance, freedom, love, and a million other things that—before I came to Hogwarts and met Lily and Sirius and the other marauders—I had scarcely understood.

The sick irony of it all was that now that I knew these things, now that I had seen past my family's supremacist-facade once and for all, I had no choice but to submit to the dark side, and become one of them. I knew that I'd be killed otherwise. People who refused to join the Death Eaters were silenced.

The bottom line—which just added to the irony—was that I knew too much. And the sole purpose for agreeing to spend this time with my family was because I was trying to _learn more_ about the dark side. But never in a million years did I think that I would be forced to join their ranks.

If I was being honest with myself, I had fallen for my family's trick. There was no point in denying it. Up until a few hours ago, before that tense conversation in Father's study, I had been blinded by the irrational hope that my family members weren't the monsters I had once thought they were.

Now, as I stood in front of my mirror, dressed in the pitch black, full-length robes that were the death eaters' trademark, looking more menacing than I ever had in my entire life, I hated myself for not seeing the truth. The naivety I had shed during my time at Hogwarts had come back full-force and stopped me from realizing that my family was full of cold-blooded murderers, and that they were intent on making me one of them.

I felt sick, staring at myself in those robes, my face as pale as the moon. I turned away from the mirror, instead pacing my room, the panic starting to rise in my chest, even as I tried to will it away. Panic wouldn't help me now. My situation was too dire to spend my time freaking out over things I couldn't change.

My fingers were shaking, and as I paced I lifted my right hand absentmindedly to grasp the pendant on my necklace from Sirius, squeezing hard. It calmed me, as I knew it would. Any thought of Sirius put my mind to rest.

I winced as I thought of him. What would he think of me once he knew what I had become, even if it wasn't what I wanted? It would probably disgust him to know I had been deceived by my family into letting my guard down and allowing myself to be sucked into this madness. God knew I was disgusted by myself.

I shook away these thoughts, but I kept my hand on the necklace, squeezing my eyes shut and wishing fervently that Sirius would come save me again, just as he had done all those weeks ago after I first heard the news about Roy.

I opened my eyes, a little part of me convinced that Sirius was going to appear in my bedroom, here to come help me out of this mess.

My room was empty, of course, and I felt despair welling up in my chest, even as I tried to force it down. What could I do? I had no idea how to apparate, so escaping that way was not an option. Neither was fleeing out the doorway—I would surely be caught. And I could not think of one person in my family who would help me leave. They were loyal to the cause, and the punishment they would receive for aiding me… I didn't even want to think about it.

So what did I do now? Allow myself to be branded with the dark mark? Submit to the Dark Lord's wishes? Dedicate my life to the destruction of all that was good in the world?

A low howl from outside distracted me momentarily from my panicked thoughts. I glanced out my window to see the form of a large animal standing just within the edge of the forest outside the Villori manor, it's big, icy blue eyes peering through the undergrowth, directly at me. I watched, almost mesmerized, as it opened its jaws one more time and emitted another low, long howl.

_Oh no,_ I thought, watching the animal as it watched me, a desperate look in its eyes. _That's the Grim. _

_Am I going to die tonight?_

* * *

><p>I stood, with shaking hands and a saddened heart, ready to face my fate. Surrounding me on all sides were robed and masked death eaters. All eyes were on me, the latest inductee. My parents and brothers stood at the far side of the expansive space—the manor's great room—and it almost made me sick to look at them, masked and formidable.<p>

I was without hope as I stood in the center of this big gathering, waiting only for the appearance of the Dark Lord before I stepped forward and met whatever was coming to me. To be branded with the dark mark, to swear my fealty to Lord Voldemort, to become a death eater once and for all: my birth-right.

No one spoke, or moved, or seemed even to breathe as we waited in suspense for our leader.

And then, suddenly, he was there, not standing more than six feet in front of me.

Everyone kneeled as if on some silent cue, and a second later I did too, my knees shaking. When I rose again, I found myself looking at Voldemort's white, disfigured face, and I felt the blood rush out of my own. Everything about this, from the masks to the purpose to the look of pure evil in Voldemort's slit like eyes, was so inherently wrong. Things like that didn't belong in this world.

I swallowed and looked down at my feet, feeling like I would faint if I stared at the murderous man in front of me for a millisecond longer. "Adeline." he said in a surprisingly high, snake-like voice, moving forward a step as every person in the room watched with wide eyes behind their masks. "We finally meet."

I was quaking with fear, and I have no doubt that everyone in the room noticed. _Did they know that I didn't want this? _I wondered to myself, trying to keep my attention off Lord Voldemort as long as possible. _Do they know that I'm only joining them because the alternative is death?_

Then it hit me. Would it not be better _to_ die? I thought back to that girl, hardly older than me, whom Roy had killed out of hatred and ignorance, on behalf of this sick cause. I had wanted to save people like her. It had been the reason I returned to my family in the first place. And now… now that I knew I couldn't do anything to save her, and would, without a doubt, someday be forced to murder people like her just as Roy had… it seemed so horribly selfish of me to continue living, if my life would be nothing but murderous and destructive from this point forward.

For the first time since I had left Hogwarts, I was resolved. I was being a coward, joining the dark side. I was better than that. I was Adeline Villori. I had the blood of kings running through my veins.

I was vaguely aware, as these thoughts ran through my head, that Voldemort was saying something about loyalty and dedication and _purifying _the wizarding world. A shiver passed down my spine at those chilling words.

He stopped his little speech, and my father stepped forward, still wearing that horrible, silver mask, and lifted my left hand, turning it so it faced upward, the milky white skin on my forearm and wrist exposed.

I watched, in a slight daze, as Voldemort lifted his wand, pointing it at my delicate flesh, where you could see my blue veins through my near translucent skin.

_The dark mark_. I thought to myself, suddenly snapping out of my helpless stupor, and a renewed courage seeming to seep into me from some outside force. With a quick movement I snatched my wrist away and stepped back hurriedly, as the entire room gasped collectively, and—without a second thought— I reached up to clasp Sirius's necklace tightly in my fist.

"Stop!" I said loudly, my voice ringing out strong and true in the giant, marble-floored room. ""I will not—"

Just then there was a tremendous flash of light, leaving everyone in the room blinded, including myself. I blinked, trying to keep my wits about me even though I couldn't see a thing, but then I felt something tug hard on the back of my robes, causing me to stumble backwards, towards the room's huge marble fireplace.

The room was full of shouts and orders as I tripped over my feet and fell backwards, expecting to come into contact with the hard marble floor beneath me, but then, oddly, I felt a pair of strong arms catch me instead. Disoriented, I began to struggle, thinking someone—maybe one of my brothers, maybe another death eater—had caught me amidst the chaos that the blinding flash had caused.

I was still completely unable to see as I thrashed about until the person who was still holding me in his arms—and was now dragging me backwards—whispered harshly into my ear, "It's me! Stop!".

I froze, even though it took me a moment to place the voice. "Sirius?" I questioned, trying to keep my voice low amid the shouting of the other death eaters who seemed to still be stumbling around the room.

"Shh!" was his reply, but I knew it was him. My heart leapt with joy, and I wanted to turn around and hug him as tightly as I possibly could. Instead I let him lead me through the mass of people at almost a dead run, making our way through the chaotic throng of confused death eaters. People were bumping into us from all directions, but Sirius appeared unaffected by the chaos and blinding light, deftly guiding me towards the direction in which I was vaguely sure the fireplace laid.

_The floo network!_ I realized then, my heart leaping. Of course, no one could come into our house via floo network, as we had higher security than even the Ministry of Magic, but people could leave from there as they wished.

We finally reached our destination, just as a voice rang out above the fray that made my blood run cold. "She's there!" my father yelled, "by the fireplace! Kill her!"

Just at that moment, the blinding spell Sirius casted wore off abruptly, and everything was disastrously clear: my father, on the other side of the room, a finger pointed directly at me, his face red with fury, mask thrown aside. Every other death eater, wands pointed, blinking rapidly as their own spells wore off, and apparently ready to heed my father's orders.

There was a huge commotion. Sirius threw down the powder, yelling some destination, as a hundred voices became one, and spells flew from every direction. I screamed, watching almost in slow-motion, as _avada kedavra_ erupted from every wand in the room, each killing curse coming straight for us.

I shut my eyes, waiting for death to come, squeezing Sirius's hand tight, my other hand clasping his necklace tightly. I thought back to that day on platform 9 ¾ as we had said our goodbyes, caught up in our own little world. I wanted that feeling of safety and contentment to be the last thing I would ever think of. I felt my heart breaking as I realized that because of me, Sirius was going to die too. I couldn't imagine anything worse in the entire world.

But then I was stumbling forward, still holding Sirius's hand, and I barely had time to open my eyes and register my surroundings: a dark, abandoned house, it's fireplace crumbling and decrepit, before I felt another hand grab my arm, and I suddenly felt as if I was being forced through a tiny tube, my body manipulated like a rag doll and flying through the air, before I came back to my senses with a loud thud, and found myself on the floor of a tiny carpeted room, a roaring fire in one corner and a well-worn couch beside me.

I raised my head and looked around, bewildered, still shaking from shock, adrenaline, and desperate fear.

When I glanced up, I found myself staring into icy blue eyes framed by thick black lashes. Vaguely I noticed that Lily was a few feet away, trying to sit up as well, an equally dazed expression on her face, but the only thing I could really focus on was Sirius.

We stared at each other for a moment, both of us breathing hard, in the middle of a living room, although I had no idea whose, and still reeling from the effects of our insane escape from the Villori manor and the death eater ceremony. But none of that mattered. What did matter was the boy beside me.

"You're safe." he said then, staring at me almost disbelievingly. "We did it. We saved you." his voice cracked with emotion as he grinned down at me from his spot on the ground a foot away. Suddenly he threw his arms around me, encasing me in the warmest, best hug I had ever experienced. "Your safe, your safe, your safe." He repeated again and again, and I could hear the relief and happiness in his voice.

"Yeah," I said back, softly, returning his hug fiercely and grinning at Lily, who was watching us from the other side of the room, a small smile on her own face. "We're safe."


	11. Relief

**Author's Note**

Okay, so, here's another chapter for you all! It doesn't really advance the plot much, but it does clarify everything that happened in the last chapter. In Chapter 12 we'll be back at Hogwarts, and things are going to get rolling!

However, as I said in the my author's note for the last chapter, I'll be really busy the next few days. I'm thinking I'll definitely not be able to update tomorrow, but probably Friday night or Saturday afternoon I'll be posting Chapter 12. Stay tuned!

Also, I only got one review for the last chapter :( ( but thank you **QueenAnnneMagic**! I so appreciate it!).

My point is: please review! It doesn't have to be long or deep, just a quick comment! (Although if any one has some constructive criticism or suggestions, I would L-O-V-E to hear it!). Anyway, it would mean the world to me if you reviewed! Thanks so much!

So yes, there it is. Another super long author's note. Sorry for begging for reviews. (What can I say? I'm a teenager, I need reassurance I guess! LOL!)

Anyway, read, enjoy, review! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

* * *

><p><strong>11. Relief<strong>

A door on one side of the living room was suddenly flung open, causing all of us to jump. Sirius reacted immediately, reaching for his wand and moving in front of me defensively in one fluid motion. For a terrible second, I was certain that somehow, my father had followed us and was about to finish what he'd started at the manor.

To my utter relief, though, I peered around Sirius's broad shoulder and realized that not my father, but _James Potter_ was standing in the doorway, and I could see two older people a little bit behind him.

"Lily!" James said breathlessly, his expression going from troubled to relieved to ecstatic in a matter of milliseconds. "Sirius! Addy! I thought you were going to apparate into the study! Bloody hell, you had us all terrified!"

He and the other two people filed into the room as Sirius lowered his wand and slumped back against the couch, after casting a quick glance towards me. Lily was the one to speak, answering James in a surprisingly civil tone. Either she was finally warming up to Potter, or she was too relieved herself to care.

"Yeah, I know. But, I panicked, and somehow we ended up in the living room. Honestly, I'm just thankful I didn't splice every single one of us." she ran a hand through her hair, and stood up, smiling at the two older people who I had now deduced to be Mr. and Mrs. Potter. I figured this must be their house.

Sirius and I stood as well, and Lily and James both came over and hugged me tightly. "I'm so glad you're safe!" said Lily, grinning broadly at me. "We were all so scared, Addy!"

"We really were," James told me, casting a sideways glance at Sirius, who hadn't yet left my side. "I can't believe you made it out of there! Must have been a madhouse." He shook his head, almost in admiration. "I can only imagine… Oh, that's my Mum and Dad!" he told me, gesturing towards his parents, who waved and smiled at me.

"We've heard so much about you, dear." said Mrs. Potter, coming forward now. "And I can only imagine how traumatic this must be for you. How about we all head into the kitchen and have some tea?"

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><p>I sat in the Potters' cozy kitchen, a mug of peppermint tea in front of me and Lily and Sirius on either side. It was almost surreal, to be sitting in this warm, inviting room, while only minutes before, I had been absolutely convinced that I was going to die.<p>

"So let me get this straight," I said, having just been filled in on the entire string of events that had lead up to this point by Lily, James, and Sirius. "Sirius hid in the forest outside the manor, and then snuck inside while the ceremony was going on. Then he casted the blinding spell, grabbed me, we jumped into the fireplace, were transported to an abandoned shack where Lily was waiting, at which point Lily apparated all three of us here, where the Potters were waiting, to make sure they wouldn't be able to follow us."

James nodded approvingly. "That's the gist of it. Honestly, I'm a bit shocked everything worked out so well. Nothing we plan ever goes smoothly!"

Sirius shot his best friend a dark look. "I wouldn't exactly say that things went _smoothly_. Adeline has been through her fair share of near death-experiences in the last few hours."

I blinked a few times, vaguely surprised that Sirius was being so defensive, especially to his best friend, but Lily spoke before I could say anything. "Come on, Sirius. What James means is that we're all safe and alive and everything worked out in the end. Right James?"

A bit of a silence enveloped the room as everyone, James included, stared at Lily, slack-jawed. Had Lily _really_ just defended James Potter?

James, for his part, looked as though he had just won the lottery. "_Lily_—" he began enthusiastically, only to be cut off by Mrs. Potter, who hopped up from her chair and began clearing away our empty mugs.

"Well, it's very, _very _late, and I'm sure everyone is absolutely exhausted. Girls, you can stay in the guestroom. Lily, a trunk with some clothes from your house has already been brought up there. And, Adeline, dear…" she trailed off, and I felt my cheeks flush and my stomach flip-flop with the sudden realization that now, I had virtually nothing. No money, no family, and not even any clothes besides what I had brought with me to Hogwarts.

"Adeline can borrow some of my clothes." Lily put in quickly, standing and pulling me up with her. I breathed an inward sigh of relief. Maybe I did have a family of sorts after all.

"Yes!" said Mrs. Potter, shooting Lily a grateful glance. "And we'll arrange that some of Adeline's clothes from Hogwarts be dropped off here tomorrow. Good girls." She turned to Sirius and James now, the latter of which was still staring at Lily with a look of complete admiration on his face. "Now then, you boys go upstairs to your room. It's time for bed. Off you go!" she shooed the boys away, although they both lingered in the kitchen long enough to make sure that Lily and I were following after saying our 'good night's and 'thank you's to the Potters.

Lily dragged me up the stairs and into the Potters' guest room before the boys had a chance to say a word, shutting the door behind us. "Wow." she said, flopping onto one of the two twin-sized beds that stood on opposite sides of the room. "This was the craziest day ever." she looked over at me, worry etched all over her face as she pulled me down onto the bed next to her and looked at me seriously. "But, good Merlin, Addy, how are you? You've been so incredibly quiet!"

I sighed, not exactly knowing how to answer. "I'm good." I said after a moment. "Tired. Still reeling from the shock a bit, I suppose. And more than a little worried about the future. But overall, well, I just can't even tell you how thankful I am that you all saved me. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if—"

"That doesn't matter." said Lily quickly, giving me a sympathetic smile and squeezing my hand gently. "You're safe now. That's what's important. And besides, you don't have to worry about the future. You'll be staying at my house for the rest of the holidays. And the ministry has already been here at the Potters as well as at my house, and all the protective spells in the entire world are in place. There is zero chance of anyone being able to track you down."

I breathed a sigh of relief, even as the reminder that people _were_ trying to find me and probably kill me sent a shiver down my spine. At least Lily wasn't trying to sugar coat things; for that I was extremely grateful.

"And…" she went on, "I know Dumbledore well have a great deal to say to you once we return to Hogwarts. Hopefully apologize for sending you into that madness in the first place."

"It was my choice." I said, defending the wise old wizard who had been against the plan in the first place. "I was naïve to think my family would just leave me be after everything that's happened."

Lily nodded. "All the same, I'm sure he feels terrible. We hardly had time to contact him before Sirius was sneaking into your family's house and blinding the lot of them. Mr. and Mrs. Potter are both aurors, if you didn't know. The plan was mostly theirs."

"One thing I don't understand," I said, looking at Lily curiously. "is how you found out that I was to be inducted tonight in the first place. Who told you?"

"Well," said Lily, yawning widely as she stood up and grabbed what I assumed to be a toiletry bag out of her trunk at the foot of the bed. "Regulus. Sirius's brother. He sent word earlier this evening. Sent Sirius into a panic like you wouldn't believe. He was brilliant today. There really isn't any other word for it. If not for him, you would probably be a sworn death eater by now."

I let these words sink in for a moment. Sirius had been acting oddly lately, for sure. Maybe all of us weren't quite ourselves, after all the drama the night had held, and the exhaustion that no doubt everyone was feeling. I couldn't really think of another reason to explain his behavior, besides…

"I said it once, I'll say it again. Sirius Black fancies you." Lily said over her shoulder as she walked towards the door and presumably to the bathroom down the hallway. "He would die before he let something happen to you."

She let this comment hang in the air, leaving me alone in the guest room to ponder these thoughts. Not even a minute had passed, however, before Sirius himself poked his head into the room. When he saw me, he smiled that cocky smile of his. It was oddly relaxing to see that despite the late hour, he seemed to be feeling more his old self.

"Hey," He said, blinking. "How are you holding up?"

""Hi." I replied as I watched him walk into Lily and I's room and sit down on the bed next to me, occupying the space Lily had just left. "I'm fine."

"You're tough." He said with a smile that only seemed to widen as his gaze traveled from my eyes down to my neck.

I looked down too, perplexed, to find that I had been subconsciously holding on tightly to Sirius's necklace with my left hand. I blushed, not meeting his gaze, but didn't move my hand. The calming effect that Sirius's necklace, and really Sirius himself, had on me was all too welcome at this point.

Suddenly I remembered something that, in the excitement of the last hour, I had completely forgotten about. "I saw a Grim." I blurted out, not even sure why I was telling Sirius this. It sounded silly to my own ears. "In the forest, before the ceremony."

He was quiet for a moment, then I heard him emit a raspy chuckle and watched out of the corner of my eye as he leaned back on the bed and looked at me with a curious expression on his face. "That was not a grim, Addy. Though I can see how you would make that mistake."

I felt a little defensive, even if what he was saying made no sense at all. "How would you know what I saw?" I shot back, brow furrowed, finally looking over at him and meeting his gaze.

He was silent for another long moment before he sighed and looked at me seriously. "Because it was me." He said finally. "I'm an animagus, and when I transform I turn into a big dog. Kind of like… well, the grim. I have the disposition of a playful puppy though, I swear." He added, with a wink in my direction.

I just looked at him, slack-jawed, trying to decide whether he was joking, in which case I thought it was hardly appropriate given the situation, or if he was serious, in which case that was not only incredibly impressive but also totally illegal.

"Are you serious?" I finally managed to ask him.

He chuckled, and I immediately regretted my choice of words even before he said his trademark line: "I'm always Sirius."

I narrowed my eyes at him and he sat up, still grinning. "But really, I'm telling the truth. All of us marauders can turn into animals. That's where the nicknames come from. You know, "Padfoot", like a dog. James is a stag."

I was shocked, although this was certainly not the most surprising thing that had happened to me in the past twenty-four hours. Finally, I recovered myself enough to ask the other thing that was bugging me, even after Lily had clarified.

"Did Regulus really tell you about the induction ceremony?" I asked skeptically, changing the subject away from Sirius and his law-breaking friends.

Honestly, I was shocked that Regulus would try to help Sirius in any way, especially when it came to undermining his family loyalties. Even though Regulus was a year younger than we were, from what I remembered of him since the last time we had spoken a year prior, he was near-obsessed with pure blood and the dark side.

"I'm just as surprised as you are." said Sirius, holding up both hands in an expression of confusion. "But yes, he owled me earlier this evening, saying that you were going to become a death eater tonight at midnight. I suppose giving me the opportunity to save you, though I have no idea why he would choose now of all times to do something brotherly. We hate each other."

I nodded, though I had a vague idea of what might have possessed the younger Black brother to inform Sirius of my situation. Regulus wasn't my favorite person, but we had played often enough together as children, and had gotten along quite well. I expect our parents had even hoped we would get married one day and extend the pure-blood line. However, Regulus had been firm in his pure-blood supremacist beliefs, practically a carbon-copy of his father. Regardless though, he was a surprisingly nice person, and he had always been respectful of my slightly less enthusiastic support of our parents' lifestyle.

Maybe Regulus had decided that I ought to get a choice in whether or not I became a death eater, and had informed his brother so that I might not have to meet a fate I didn't wish for. He must have known Sirius and I were friends, otherwise he would never have sent word to his brother.

But, regardless of the reason, I was insanely grateful to Regulus for this random act of compassion towards me, and to an extent, his brother. I owed him, that was for sure.

"I don't really care _why_ he told me though." said Sirius, half to himself. "just that he did. I'm grateful for it."

I smiled at Sirius, then yawned widely. A second later he did the same, and we both laughed, just two teenagers again, no responsibilities or worries or threats lurking behind the corner.

"Too bad you two are going to Lily's house tomorrow." Sirius said as he hopped off the bed and started for the door. "It would have been fun to have you here. Prongs has been practically inconsolable these past few days without his daily dose of Lily."

"Holiday will be over soon enough." I said, wanting to believe it. I was starting to wonder how I would hold up without seeing Sirius for an entire week. I walked over to where he was standing by the door and gave him a quick hug, inhaling deeply, and—I hoped—inconspicuously, wanting to memorize the smell of him. Kind of like rain, with butter-beer mixed in, and chocolate. "Night, Black." I said, letting my arms drop to my sides and giving him a small smile. "Thank you. So much. For everything."

"Good night, Adeline. And no need to thank me. I'll always be there to protect you." Those big blue eyes seemed to bore into my green ones for a split second, before he flashed that trademark grin of his and was gone.


	12. Concern

**Author's Note**

Hello everyone! Well, I would like to start by thanking everyone for the wonderful reviews I recieved for the last chapter! You guys are the best! It means so much!

So this chapter is a little shorter than the last few have been. The reason for that is because this chapter and the next were originally going to be one big chapter, but I decided to split them up so I could get this part out to you guys. Hopefully you can expect chapter 13 by tomorrow, and Monday night at the latest.

And yes, there is a reason that I included this first little scene in this chapter, even if it seems completely random, haha :) Actually, everything will make more sense once you read chapter 13!

So anyway, here's chapter 12! Sorry for not updating yesterday, I had 10 hours of music rehearsal. It was hard core and SO much fun.

I am probably the biggest band geek ever! Haha :)

Okay enough rambling! Read, enjoy, REVIEW! Keep it coming you guys! Thanks :)

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

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><p><strong>12. Concern<strong>

The remainder of winter holidays passed by quickly at Lily's house. I adored her parents, both muggles and so completely different from my own. I was shocked that they were so welcoming to me, given the circumstances. It was hardly a secret that I was now wanted by the most dangerous group of wizards in Britain. I was also a threat to everyone around me, who could easily be caught in the cross-fire if a death eater really did come after me. Yet the Evans' didn't seem to mind, and seemed thrilled to have me around, much to my relief. I didn't really have anywhere else to go.

Now I sat at the long Gryffindor table between Lily and Sirius, clapping happily as Dumbledore finished his customary "welcome back" speech. The buzz of conversation sprang up as food materialized in front of us.

"I would just like to say," said James, staring seriously at Lily and speaking in a tone of voice I had become familiar with over the past few months as he continuously tried to win my best friend's heart. "that I missed you terribly over the past week, dearest Lily."

The entire table winced collectively, waiting for Lily's no doubt haughty response. However, her reply was surprisingly… pleasant. "Okay, James." She said to the bespectacled boy, "It's good to see you too, I suppose."

The look on James' face said it all. With a grin, he stared at Lily for a moment longer, a look of pure adoration on his face, before turning his gaze back to his dinner, still smiling. I looked over to Lily to see that her cheeks were stained red, a small smile on her own face.

Sirius leaned over to me, a few seconds later, apparently as shocked as I was. "Did that really just happen?" he whispered in my ear, his breath on my neck causing a small shiver to run down my spine.

I giggled softly at the disbelief in his tone that perfectly mirrored my own. "I'm as shocked as you are." I whispered back, shrugging my shoulders at him.

He raised his eyebrows at James, who after making sure Lily's attention was elsewhere, gave Sirius and I an extremely enthusiastic thumbs-up. It made my heart swell to see James's efforts finally rewarded, if only a little bit. I had a feeling that Lily was starting to see her long-term admirer in a new light.

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><p>The next morning, the six of us sat at breakfast, sleepy but excited for the start of the new term. Lily was already reading through our new herbology textbook, Sirius and James were planning their next prank (the target being Slytherin sixth years), Peter was happily shoving toast and eggs into his mouth, and Remus was staring off into space, looking rather tired. I was awaiting the daily prophet, which I had come to rely on the past few weeks to bring me the latest news on the war I had somehow managed to launch myself into the middle of.<p>

At that moment the owls arrived, an experience that even all these weeks later seemed to send a little jolt of dread through my spine.

I shivered, almost imperceptibly, but Sirius caught it, looking over momentarily from his animated conversation with his best friend to catch my eye and smile at me reassuringly.

I smiled back, hardly surprised that he'd noticed. He was noticing a lot of things lately, always managing to catch my attention in class or at meals and put my mind at ease.

I loved Lily like a sister, and Remus and James and even Peter like brothers, but there was something about Sirius that was a little different than everyone else in my life. As cheesy as it sounds, he just _got_ me.

A loud thud—which turned out to be the sound of my newspaper dive-bombing onto the empty breakfast plate in front of me—shocked me out of my wandering thoughts about Sirius and back to reality.

I blinked a few times and looked up in time to see something else flying towards me from above: a simple white envelope. When it landed on top of the Prophet, I immediately recognized my mother's loopy handwriting, in which my name was scrawled messily on the front. It appeared to have been written in great haste.

This realization only added to my rising panic. With a shaky hand I took the letter off of the table and gripped it tightly in my hand, cursing my awful luck when it came to mail.

"Um…" I began, casting a quick look around me and breathing a sigh of relief when everyone appeared to be oblivious to the situation at hand. A letter from my mother… well, my heart sunk just thinking about it. "I forgot something in my room. See you all in class." I tried to keep my voice level, avoiding their gaze and walking away as calmly as I could. I didn't want to alarm my friends, and I felt a strange need for privacy, as if the contents of this letter could cause harm to every person it came into contact with.

Not just me.

I was out of the Great Hall and turning down a vacant corridor when I heard footsteps behind me.

I whirled around, reaching for my wand, wanting to desperately to be alone, until my eyes met Sirius's.

"Who's it from?" he asked immediately, his eyes now moving down to the envelope in my hand. "You're dad?"

I bit my lip, then decided to take the cowardly route. "Oh? The letter? It's nothing. I'm just going up to my room like I said I was. I'd totally forgotten about the letter." I tried to say in the most blasé manner I could manage, knowing even as the words came out of my mouth that they wouldn't convince a five year old.

He looked at me critically for a moment before rolling his eyes and leaning against the wall of the corridor, crossing his strong arms in front of him. "Okay, first of all, you're going in the complete opposite direction of Gryffindor tower. Second, you're a horrible liar. Thirdly, we both know that the letter you keep trying to stick farther and farther into your sleeve is important and probably unpleasant. Lastly," at this point I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to object to this little lecture, but he cut me off with a raised hand. There's no point trying to avoid it, because I'm not about to let you deal with this by yourself."

He leaned back against the wall with a satisfied smirk, daring me to object to or deny any of the things he had just said.

But they were all true, and we both knew it, so with a sigh I leaned against the wall next to him and slid down to sit on the cold stone of the corridor, him doing the same thing a second later.

"Alright," I said, breaking the seal and pulling out the folded piece of paper within. "It's from my mother."

_Adeline,_

_I write to you in secret, imploring you to return to the manor and beg your father as well as the Dark Lord for forgiveness. Claim that you were taken against your will, and that you wish to be a loyal subject and death eater._

_I cannot guarantee that they will accept you back. However, sooner or later you can be certain that the Dark Lord's followers will track you down. Of this I am sure._

_Please, daughter, I urge you to return to us and ask for forgiveness. Not doing so would be suicidal._

_Lenoir Undine Villori_

I read the short message silently, then handed it to Sirius without comment. He took it, scanned it quickly, then crumpled it up furiously and threw it against the opposite wall.

I looked at him, alarmed, as he sat there, breathing heavily and glaring at the letter as if it would stand up and come at me itself.

"Sirius," I said, putting a hand on his broad shoulder. "It's alright. I'm going to be fine—"

"It's not alright!" he shouted at me, standing up in the blink of an eye and backing up against the opposite wall, one hand pulling at the roots of his black hair. "Whatever it is, Adeline, it is _not_ alright! I—You—Ah!" He let out a frustrated growl, his eyes blazing. "It's not alright." he repeated again, before turning on his heel and storming down the corridor and out of sight.

I was left there, completely bewildered, sitting alone in the middle of that deserted hallway. My eyes slowly moved from the direction in which Sirius had disappeared, down to the letter that still lay crumpled on the ground.

With a start I realized that it was on fire, the flames eating away at the parchment. I watched it until all that was left of my mother's desperate pleas were smoking ashes lying on the cold stones.

Sirius had obviously set the piece of paper on fire by accident, as he hadn't pulled out his wand or made any attempt to destroy it. He really was upset, then, if he was in enough of a rage to set things ablaze without even meaning to.

After a few minutes of solitude, in which I tried to make sense of my current situation-a mother who was begging me to ask one of the evilest men in the entire world for mercy, and a friend so upset by this news that he had literally set the nearest thing up in flames—I stood up and made my way to the Great Hall, surprisingly calm.

I had already known everything my mother had told me. Of course my family and their friends would try to track me down and kill me, at the Dark Lord's leisure. And it was true that there was a _slight_ chance that I would be forgiven for my previous actions and allowed to be a death eater. Or at least allowed to live.

But this really meant nothing to me. I was prepared, as I had been that night during my near-induction into the dark side, to die before I became one of the Dark Lord's minions. I would gladly face death before becoming a murderer myself. It was simple.

I entered the Great Hall again, feeling oddly at peace with myself, but still heartily concerned for the boy I had come to rely on so fully these past few weeks, and found my friends in precisely the place I had left them. I noted, however, that Sirius was nowhere in sight.

Professor McGonagall handed me my times-table for the new term just as James seemed to notice that Sirius had not accompanied me back to the Hall. "Where's Padfoot, Addy?" he asked, looking concerned.

"Um…" I said, stuffing my times-table into my school bag and standing up, getting ready to walk with Lily to Herbology. "I don't know. Said he wanted to talk to Peeves for a minute about a prank, then just ran off. Could be anywhere."

James nodded seriously, apparently content with _that_ lie, which made me wonder if Sirius was the only one I could tell nothing but the truth to.


	13. Safety

**Author's Note**

Yay! Chapter 13 is here! Hopefully you all enjoy it! Expect chapter 14 either tomorrow (Monday) or Tuesday. It depends on how much work my AP Chem teacher decides to throw at us.

Moving on, before I start ranting about high school science courses (Do NOT take AP Chemistry!), I would like to thank all the wonderful, amazing people that reviewed last chapter! You're awesome! *throws confetti*

Please review this chapter! It would make me want to write, which would in turn make me get chapter 14 out faster! :D

Alright, now that I'm done trying to motivate you into boosting my own self-esteem, here's chapter 13!

Read, enjoy, review!

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

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><p><strong>13. Safety<strong>

"So…" said Lily as we made our way across the school grounds and towards the herbology green houses, "Sirius declare his undying love for you yet?"

I blinked at her first in confusion, then in annoyance. "Uh, no, Lily. Sirius Black is not in love with me. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"It's not and you know it." she shot back, and I could tell she was dead serious. "The boy never takes his eyes off you, he's always worried about you, he's always trying to protect you, and according to James, he hasn't even _looked_ at another girl in months."

"That doesn't mean anything." I said, trying to not let the disappointment be heard in my voice.

I obviously failed at that though, as Lily countered quickly with, "Oh come on, Addy. What more indication do you need? I suppose the more important question is _do you like him?_"

I felt my cheeks flush with color even before she'd finished her question. It was something I had pondered often enough in the past few weeks, and even though I knew the answer was a resounding "_yes_", the thought of putting that answer into words was terrifying. "I… uh…" I said nervously, glancing around to make sure no one was in ear shot and almost tripping over my own two feet as I tried to keep my voice level and my face passive. "It's difficult to… uh… Really it's more—"

"Bloody hell, Addy!" cried Lily, rather loudly and in a very James-like manner, "with that reaction, it's a wonder you can even _speak_ to him without spontaneously combusting. Oh, you have got it _bad_!"

"Shh!" I said, putting a finger to my lips and looking over my shoulder to ensure privacy. "Lily! Don't just go shouting it to the heavens!"

She giggled, but thankfully spoke softer as she said, "Sorry! But gosh, you two are just so… ah! Perfect for each other. And I'd really prefer you get together sooner rather than later, because the sexual tension between you is driving me, Remus, and James _insane_. I swear, all those looks you give eachother, and the way he's always watching you eat or take notes or walk is—"

"Lily." I said seriously as the green house finally, thankfully, came into view. "Stop talking. Please, I'm begging you. Plus, I could say the same thing about you and James."

"You could _not_." said Lily indignantly, her eyes wide. "Me and James are—"

"Perfect for each other?" I finished, using her own words against her, my eyebrows raised. "Don't try to tell me you don't like him. I'll know you're lying."

She opened her mouth, cheeks flushed, but no words came out. Finally she heaved a big sigh and stared determinedly forward. "I will admit that lately my feelings have begun to change _slightly_ towards him. But now… after all the proclamations of love and dedication and theatrics… Oh, I don't know, it just seems like it would never work! I would look like an idiot if I gave in after all this time."

"No, you would look like a girl who finally gave a great guy a chance. Lily, sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith."

She seemed to be seriously considering my advice before realizing something and then staring accusingly back at me. "I could tell you the same thing."

"It's different for me," I told her stubbornly. "Because despite how I might feel about him, there's no way Sirius returns those feelings. I'm his friend, nothing else."

"You're wrong." Lily told me in a matter-of-fact tone of voice as we finally reached the green house, placing one hand theatrically over her heart, "And deep down, you know it. Oh, the drama of unrequited love!"

* * *

><p>"You didn't hear it from me," said James, catching up to me on the stairs as I made my way down to the Great Hall for lunch later that day, "but Sirius is at the Quidditch pitch, wallowing in despair. I suggest you go talk to him."<p>

I raised my eyebrows at James, though inside it felt like a weight was being lifted off my shoulders. I could hardly focus on anything all day with the image of the burning letter and Sirius's anger etched in the back of my mind. I knew I needed to talk to him, and as soon as possible. "You didn't hear it from me," I replied to James, wanting to thank him for the info, "but I don't think Lily would object to you bringing her some lunch. She's working on a project in Slughorn's room."

James' eyes lit up like a toddler's on Christmas morning. "Her wish is my command." He said enthusiastically, hurrying towards the Great Hall while I made my way to the Quidditch pitch.

* * *

><p>I found Sirius sitting in the middle of the big field, staring moodily at the sky and tearing up grass with his long fingers.<p>

He didn't notice me until I was not more than 2 yards away, my figure sending a shadow across the ground in front of him.

"Hey," I said, sitting down on the grass beside him.

"Hi," he said, his brows furrowed. He looked horribly unhappy, and my heart went out to him. He also seemed to be waiting for me to say something, though I had no idea what. I just wanted him to tell me what was wrong, so that maybe I could help him.

After a long silence, he finally let out a frustrated growl and ran a hand across his face. "Be honest," he said, finally meeting my gaze. "how horrible of a friend am I?"

I looked at him blankly, totally clueless. "What?" I asked.

He didn't look at me, instead turning his gaze back to the ruined grass in front of him, his tone completely miserable. "How much of a git do you think I am now? Be brutal, I can take it."

I couldn't help it. A little laugh escaped me. _Me? _Hating Sirius? He was one of the greatest people I had ever met! "What the hell are you talking about?" I questioned, trying to keep the mirth out of my voice.

He scowled, looking at me like I was completely insane. "How can you possibly be laughing right now?" he asked, upset. "Your own _mother_ sends you a letter telling you that it's only a matter of time before you're _murdered_ by your own family, and you're giggling! Have you lost your bloody mind, Adeline?"

I was still confused, and still giggling slightly, but the look of sheer helplessness on Sirius's handsome face subdued me like a bucket of ice water. "Sirius…" I said, more gently. "is that what you're upset about?"

"Of course! And then I just stormed off, like the biggest, most selfish jerk in the entire world, not offering you even a bit of support, or even making sure you're okay! And I've just been sitting here all morning, hating myself for letting any of this happen in the first place."

I looked at him, incredulous, trying to make sense of these insane ideas. "First of all, I'm fine. None of that stuff that my mother told me came as any sort of shock. I knew that was going to happen, and I'm not bothered by it. Second, you cannot _possibly_ blame yourself for any of this. Sirius, you've been amazing the past few weeks, I don't know what—"

"Addy, just stop." He said, still not meeting my gaze. "Stop trying to make me feel better. Of course I blame myself! It's all my fault! If I hadn't tried to be the big hero and stopped you from becoming a death eater, you would be safe right now and under the protection of your family, not getting death threats and afraid for your life!" he slapped his palm onto the ground, the muscles in his arm taut as his fingers dug into the soil.

"Sirius," I said, hardly believing my ears. "You rescuing me that night was the single greatest thing anyone has _ever_ done for me. If not for you, I would be—"

"Safe." he said, looking up at me mournfully.

"—a murderer." I finished. "Or even more likely, dead."

He looked at me in confusion, so I went on.

"Right before you saved me, I was about to tell them to kill me instead. I would die before I became a death eater, Sirius. So don't keep going on about how I would be safe and protected by the Dark Lord and my family, because it's not true. I would never stoop down to that level just to save myself."

He looked at me, finally, searchingly, as if trying to tell whether I was really just making this all up for his benefit. "Is that true?" he asked after a while.

"Absolutely." I told him, nodding determinedly. "You really did save my life. And I haven't given up yet. There's still a chance I can avoid the dark side, if they wait long enough before coming after me, and I get much stronger during that time. I've decided to talk to Dumbledore tonight, and see what he thinks."

I looked back at Sirius, and was momentarily stunned by the look on his face as he stared straight at me. "Adeline," he said, watching me as if he was seeing the sun for the first time. "You're the most amazing girl I've ever met."

I blushed, looking down at the ground. I could feel my heart beating wildly in my chest. Had he really just said that? "I'm not." I said, embarrassed.

"No," he said, moving towards me a few inches, his eyes intent on mine. "I'm not just saying that. Really, you… you're brave, and kind, and confident, and so pretty, and, this is going to sound so weird, but I feel like we kind of, I don't know, _get_ each other. I've never felt like that around anyone before…" he trailed off, looking at me where I sat, jaw-dropped, probably looking like an idiot. "How ridiculous do I sound right now?" he asked with a little self-conscious laugh, running a hand through his hair. "Sorry, I just—"

"No," I said, holding up a hand to stop him for apologizing. "No, I feel like that too: like you understand me better than anyone. It's odd, isn't it?" I asked, giggling a bit myself now.

"I think it's great." He said, smiling genuinely as he stood up and helped me up as well. "I think you're great." He then said, and I could tell he meant it.

I blushed more, if that was even possible, before looking away, embarrassed, towards the castle where you could just see students starting to filter out of the Great hall and towards their afternoon classes. "We're going to be late for Potions," I said, trying to steer the subject towards something safer, turning back to Sirius. With a start I noticed that his eyes were trained on my lips. Almost as if he wanted to kiss me.

After a moment he seemed to give himself a little mental shake, stepping back a foot or so and bringing his eyes up to meet mine. "Of course, let's go." He said, winking at me and looking more like his normal self. "Slughorn will never forgive me if I deliver his favorite student to class late."

We set back towards the castle, though my thoughts were not on potions but rather the amazing guy next to me. Lily was right, I did like him. A lot. And although at times it was easy to think I might have a chance with him, I didn't know the extent of his feelings, and it scared me.

What I did know was that Sirius Black was one of the best things that had ever happened to me, and that I would do anything to keep him in my life.


	14. Unnerved

**Author's Note**

I'm sorry! I know I said this chapter would be out like 3 days ago but real life got in the way this week (don't you hate when that happens?). Long story short, I've been spending about 10-12 hours a day at my high school, about half of that time actually in classes, the other half practicing with our interns and teachers for a music competition coming up. It's been crazy to say the least. Concert season is so intense! I miss marching season more than anything in the world right now. How many more months till August...? D:

But anyway, here is Chapter 14. The "plan" you'll read about is going to go into action next chapter. I was going to fit it in to this one but I didn't want to rush things!

And thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to all the lovely, wonderful, amazing people who reviewed last chapter! I appreciate it more than you will ever know!

As always, read, enjoy, and please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

* * *

><p><strong>14. Unnerved<strong>

"So lately I've been thinking," said Sirius in a low voice, as we sat on a couch in the common room that evening, waiting for the rest of our friends to join us. "that you and I need to try and get Lily and James together."

"You're always trying to get Lily and James together," I told him, concentrating on the Herbology essay in front of me.

"Well, yes, that's true. It's my duty, as best friend." said Sirius, placing a hand dramatically on his chest. "But, I think that if we _combined_ our efforts—"

"And _my_ duty as best friend is to protect Lily from being thrown into awkward situations." I countered, though I knew full well I would probably help Sirius out with whatever he had in mind. Lily liked James, whether she wanted to admit it or not, and I wanted them to be together.

As if he had read my mind, Sirius said, "Okay, yeah, but you and I both know they're perfect for each other! And anyway, I can tell that she likes him. It was really only a matter of time."

"Uh huh. Well, go ask Remus to help you." I said offhandedly, pretending to focus on my essay, which I knew would bother him. He wanted my full attention.

"Addy!" he whined, scooting towards me on the couch in an effort to draw my eyes away from the parchment. "This is about the lifetime happiness of our friends! The parents of our future god-children! It's serious business!"

"Hey, I want to finish this essay before midnight, thank you very much!" I replied, trying to push away his hand that was reaching out to grab my quill.

"You're Lily's wing-woman!" said Sirius, dramatic as always. "You have to look out for her! She has no other girl-friends to do this. Be responsible!"

"I'm sure Lily has other friends that would be happy to play match-maker with you." I said, my brow furrowed as I reread my introductory paragraph for probably the fifth time. Although at this point, I was just enjoying the grief I was putting Sirius through.

"She doesn't! You know every other girl in our year is horribly jealous of dear Lily. And besides, I want to do this with you!" he said, frustrated. "Now, put down that essay for two minutes and pay attention to my genius plan. Please?"

I have to admit, inside I got that bubbly feeling all the way down to my toes when he said _"I want to do this with you!"_. Why was it that everything Sirius Black did made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside?

And easy to break. "Fine." I said, turning to face him and feigning grumpiness. Inside I was content. I could help Lily find happiness, and spend time with Sirius? It was a win-win by any definition. "Wow me with your fancy plan."

* * *

><p>Sirius's plan was not fancy. Actually, it was so elementary that I vaguely wondered if Peter had been the true mastermind.<p>

But the enthusiasm with which Sirius viewed the upcoming event made me think that he had probably tried many elaborate schemes, and none of them had worked. So now, he was going for the straightforward approach.

The day finally arrived when our little plan was to be put into action. It was the first Hogsmeade trip of the new year, and _my_ first Hogsmeade trip ever (mother and father had forbidden me from going after hearing about my House placement, but Dumbledore was now giving me special permission).

That morning, Lily and I were in our dormitory, getting ready for the outing, her blissfully unaware of what Sirius and I were trying to do.

"Which jacket should I wear?" asked Lily, holding up a dark blue pea-coat in one hand and a light pink wind breaker in the other.

"The blue one, Lils." I said, digging through my own dresser for my favorite dark gray cardigan. "James likes that one."

"Really?" said Lily, a little too quickly and a little too high-pitched, blushing slightly. "Oh."

I grinned at her, thinking this plan might work after all. "Don't tell me you're trying to impress Potter?" I asked, feigning disbelief. "I thought you _hated_ him!"

She blushed more, then stuck her tongue out at me. "Oh, do shut up! You've been looking for that cardigan for the past twenty minutes! And I saw you put on makeup this morning! I'm not the only one trying to impress a boy!"

It was my turn to redden, though a little laugh escaped me as I finally tugged the cardigan out of the drawer and held it up victoriously. "Damn right I am." I said, putting it on and checking my reflection in the mirror. "And it better be worth it. I had to wake up thirty minutes earlier than usual, just to put this together."

"Oh, it will be." said Lily, putting on her own jacket and looping her arm in mine. "You look like a million bucks. Now let's go turn some heads!"

* * *

><p>We descended the stairs, outfitted in our carefully picked-out clothes. I wore dark blue skinny jeans, black ankle boots, a dark green, long-sleeved shirt and the elusive cardigan. Lily was dressed in a similar fashion: turquoise sweater-dress, black leggings, black boots and the pea coat over top.<p>

I glanced over at my best friend as we made our way down to the common room, and thought how true Sirius's comment from the other night had really been. All the other girls in our year—as well as really _all_ the years—were terribly jealous of Lily, and with good reason. She was smart, funny, beautiful, and had the heart of one of the most popular boys at school.

It was a wonder I didn't hate her just as much as those other girls, but then again, I had been raised to be the subject of jealousy, not the other way around. And though there _were_ times that I did envy Lily, I was content with my own self.

And I was incredibly proud to be Lily's friend. In all truth, I had been shocked when she had confided in me, one night when I was staying at her house over the winter holiday, that she had never had many friends growing up, except for Severus Snape. And after their falling out a few months ago, her only real friend had been Remus until me and the rest of the marauders had entered the equation. It seemed almost unjust that one of the greatest people I had ever met had gone through such a period of loneliness. Of all people, Lily deserved to have wonderful friends.

I tore my thoughts away from Lily's social life and back to the warmth and comfort of the common room.

I looked around and quickly located James and Sirius leaning against one wall. James, unsurprisingly, was grinning like an idiot.

"You look wonderful, Lily, my love." he said, striding towards her, a look of adoration in his eyes.

I tore my eyes away from Lily and our love-sick friend and turned to Sirius, wearing jeans and a dark grey sweater. He was leaning against the wall, the picture of ease, his eyes sweeping up my form until finally resting on my eyes.

I raised my eyebrows at him, smirking. He winked. "Checking me out, Black?" I asked, stepping up closer to him, a smile playing on my lips.

"I'll never tell." was his quick reply.

I laughed at this, turning my back to him and following Lily and James, who were almost to the portrait-hole. Flirting, albeit not my strong point, was rather entertaining when it came to Sirius. And although I knew that he was the womanizer of the entire school and a huge flirt, there was that little part of me still holding on tightly to the hope that I wasn't just another girl for him to admire and joke around with. I wanted to be _the_ girl, the only one, as romantic an idea as it was.

Either way, though, I was undeniably drawn to Sirius Black, and I knew I couldn't stay away from him, even if I wanted to.

* * *

><p>"Flirting with Sirius, are we?" Lily asked in a whisper as we walked a few yards in front of the boys on the way to Hogsmeade.<p>

I shrugged my shoulders at her, trying to act like it was no big deal. Because, to Sirius anyway, it probably wasn't.

"Well I think it's a good thing." Said Lily, nodding seriously. "You need to show him you're interested. Otherwise he'll never make a move."

I couldn't hold back a snort at those words. "Are you kidding, Lils? Sirius is the womanizer of the entire Hogwarts population. All he _does_ is make moves!" I whispered back, checking over my shoulder to make sure the boys weren't within hearing range.

Lily looked back too, and after seeing that the boys were a good twenty yards behind us, stopped walking and put her hand on my shoulder. "Adeline." She said solemnly, "Sirius likes you. I can tell. But you're so different from any girl he's ever been involved with, and I think it unnerves him. He's second guessing himself, and not being so forward because, well, he's afraid of scaring you off."

I gave her a doubtful look. "The reason he's not being so forward, Lily, is because he _doesn't_ like me. I'm not some special case."

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "You don't get it. He's head over heels for you, Adeline. He just doesn't want to mess things up."

I scowled at her and started walking again, as the boys were beginning to catch up. "Did James tell you that? Or Remus?"

"No," she admitted, biting her lip, "I just know it. Ever since he met you, Sirius has changed. He's gotten more mature, more conscientious of his actions. He's trying to win you over."

I wanted to argue with her more, just to get rid of the tiny spark of hope that had appeared inside of me. I didn't want Sirius to break my heart. I didn't want all my hopes to be crushed. But, more than anything…

I wanted everything Lily had just told me to be true.

But it had to come from Sirius. Hearing it second-hand would never be enough. And despite Lily's certainty, I wasn't convinced of anything. He was Sirius Black for god's sake; he could have any girl that he wanted. Why choose me?

Lily interrupted my inner musings. "Addy, I wouldn't be saying these things if I wasn't certain of it. Heck, I wouldn't even let Sirius _near_ you if I thought he was going to treat you the same way he's treated the other girls he's been involved with. But, he's changed. For you. And soon enough you'll realize it as well."

I nodded, glancing quickly behind me. Sirius was walking beside his best friend, smiling and laughing at some joke of James' that probably had not been very good. At that moment he caught my eye and gave me a broad smile, his blue eyes seeming to practically sparkle in the midday light.

I found myself smiling back, before turning forward again. Just from that little exchange, my heart was beating like a drum.

As the butterflies began to dance in my stomach, I felt better than I had in weeks. So maybe Sirius and I's relationship was uncertain, hanging somewhere in the balance between great friends and something much deeper. But I knew at that moment, without a single doubt in my mind, that everything would work out in the end.

"Some things," said Lily, smiling slightly herself and watching me with a knowing look, "are meant to be."


	15. Smile

**Author's Note**

Hello everyone! Chapter 15 is here! I was pretty quick with this one, mostly because it's the weekend (thank goodness), and also because there's been some stuff going on in my own life that has given me some wonderful inspiration :)

On a more depressing note, I didn't get a single review for the last chapter :( It made me soooo sad! I know it wasn't the best but please, please, please, REVIEW! It would mean the world to me.

Alright, so, anyway, here's Chapter 15! Adeline is a little emotional, but hey, she has a lot on her plate!

Read, enjoy, review! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

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><p><strong>15. Smile<strong>

"It's time," said Sirius in a low voice, his gaze solemn. "to put this plan into action."

I rolled my eyes at him and glanced around, pinpointing Lily and James's location in the candy store. We had only been here ten minutes, and already Sirius was acting like he was on some top-secret mission. "A few more minutes." I told my partner-in-crime, "I don't want to leave here yet."

"We can come back later," he told me, peeking over his shoulder at Lily and James, who were by the large display of chocolate frogs. I found myself smiling slightly as I followed his gaze and looked at our two friends: they were standing side by side, Lily giggling at something James had just said while his arm hovered, unbeknownst to her, behind her shoulders. She turned to look at him and he dropped it quickly, blushing slightly as he answered her question.

"Fine," I said, tearing my gaze away from them and back to Sirius, who was still watching, a curious expression on his face. It looked a little bit like envy. "But we _are_ coming back later."

Sirius grinned at me, then nodded. "Work you're magic." He whispered in my ear as I walked past him and towards our two friends, his slightly long hair tickling my neck.

Lily was walking in my direction as well, and I could see James watching us surreptitiously from the spot they had been standing a few seconds ago. Lily's expression had gone from happy to oddly troubled in an instant.

"Oh, Adeline." said Lily as she reached me, clutching her stomach. "I'm not feeling well. I think I may have come down with something. James is going to walk me to the castle and—"

"You seemed fine two minutes ago," I said, a little panicky, glancing back at Sirius, who was trying to watch us sneakily from behind a chocolate fountain.

"Well, I, uh…" said Lily, her eyes darting to the side, her face red. "It came on very suddenly, and uh…" she suddenly seemed to find her nail beds very interesting.

I looked at her critically for a few seconds, seeing the tell-tale signs of lying written all over her face. Lily Evans had beaten me to the punch.

I pulled Lily to the side, behind a licorice wand display, and out of the boys' sights. Then I burst out laughing, unable to contain myself.

"For god's sake, what's so funny?" asked Lily, exasperatedly. "I'm telling you I feel ill and you're acting like a madwoman."

"Oh, Lily Evans, you are a riot." I wheezed in between giggles, trying to catch my breath. "Now what is the real reason you're lying to me?"

Lily pouted, but after a few more seconds of laughter, a smile broke out across her own face. "Well, Adeline Villori, I was trying to do you a favor, but you seem dead set on making things difficult."

"What kind of favor?" I choked out.

"James and I were going to give you and Sirius some time alone. Your very own Hogsmeade date." She told me, matter-of-factly, her hands on her hips.

This only caused me to laugh harder. Finally, I composed myself enough to gasp: "I was about to do the exact same thing for you!" before submitting to my laughter once again.

It took her a moment to process this, but then she began to giggle herself. "You're joking?" she asked, hand covering her mouth. When I shook my head, she burst into uproarious laughter.

At last, after receiving some odd looks from a few other Hogwarts students milling around the big store, Lily and I were able to contain ourselves. "Well…" I finally said, grinning. "I suppose we part ways. You go with your boy, I go with mine, and we just make sure we don't cross paths."

"Deal." said Lily, winking at me. "I wish you luck, dearest friend. Not that you need it. You look gorgeous. Our Sirius hasn't been able to take his eyes off you all day. Including now." She added, nodding over my shoulder. I turned, and saw that Sirius and James were standing on the other side of the store, their eyes trained on me and Lily.

"Brilliant." I said, smoothing down my hair. "See you back at the castle?"

"We'll be there." she told me, nodding at James and departing the store alongside him, while I headed towards Sirius, a skip in my step. Today, I hoped, would be a good day.

* * *

><p>Sirius and I were walking along, our plan having not worked out exactly the way I had pictured it, but our main goal still accomplished. Sirius, having been to Hogsmeade many times before, navigated down the tiny cobblestone streets of the village with ease. We ended up in front of the Three Broomsticks, and sat down at a secluded booth inside.<p>

After a moment of silence, Sirius spoke. "Okay, I've been dying to ask you all day. How was your meeting with Dumbledore last night?"

I smiled inwardly, for some reason really touched that he had remembered about my meeting with the headmaster, and cared enough to ask me about it. I resisted the urge to reach out and grab his hand from across the table as I answered his question. "Well," I said, "after he apologized profusely for putting me in such a dangerous situation over winter holiday—"

"—as he should have," muttered Sirius, jaw clenched.

"Yes, well, anyway, after that, he offered to give me private defense against the dark arts lessons. So that, when the dark lord _does_ decide to track me down, I might have a chance of surviving." I said this matter-of-factly, trying to not let any trace of fear or worry into my voice. I didn't want Sirius blaming himself again, and I didn't want him to think I was weak.

Sirius's face darkened immediately. "Addy…" he said, as I stared adamantly at my mug of butterbeer, trying to seem un-phased. "You don't have to be strong _all_ the time."

I looked at Sirius, meeting his gaze. He was looking at me with such an earnest, caring expression that I felt my walls beginning to crumble as if on a cue from some higher power. In the blink of an eye he'd moved so that he was sitting beside me, putting an arm around my shoulder. It wasn't romantic. He was just trying to comfort me.

It was sweet.

"Sirius," I said, overcome, my throat starting to close up as tears welled in my eyes. "I wasn't scared earlier. But, now… I am. I'm afraid that they'll come after me, and kill me, and the people I love. If something happened to Lily or James or Remus or _you _because of me… I couldn't handle it, I—"

"Adeline." He said my name almost lovingly, like a lullaby. "I would gladly die trying to protect you. And there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"No." I tried to object, the tears coming in earnest now, my head buried in Sirius's shoulder as he stroked my hair. "Don't you dare die for me. I'm not worth—"

"Adeline Randall Villori," he stopped me, his voice solemn, "You are worth everything. And nothing is going to happen to you. I will _not_ _let_ anything happen to you."

I found myself unable to say anything for a few moments, instead letting Sirius's strong arms keep me anchored, if only for a second. I felt so safe. So encompassed in warmth and protection that I never wanted to leave this moment.

Finally I sat up a little straighter, more or less composed. Sirius offered me a handkerchief which I accepted gratefully. "I'm a mess," I said with a watery smile, chancing a glance over at Sirius, who still had his arm wrapped around me. He didn't seem disgusted or annoyed by my display of emotions, although I was sure any other teenage guy would be. He just seem concerned. When I smiled, though, he did too.

"You're a wonderful mess." He told me, reaching out and wiping away a tear that I had missed. "And I invite you to seek me out whenever you need a shoulder to cry on. I do very much like being your knight in shining armor."

I smiled at this, smoothing down my hair as Sirius removed his arm from around my shoulders, leaving me feeling almost empty. I tried to ignore the loss, instead glancing around us. More than a few other Hogwarts students, I noticed, were staring dead at me and Sirius, no doubt puzzled by my little emotional outburst and his reaction to it.

"Brilliant." I said, recovered, and taking a sip of my butterbeer. "I forgot we were in a public place. Seems we have a bit of an audience."

Sirius seemed less than troubled by this, instead following my gaze with a smirk and then shrugging nonchalantly. "Let them stare. I'm at Hogsmeade with the greatest girl at Hogwarts. They're just jealous."

* * *

><p>Sirius and I left the Three Broomsticks a half hour later, the butterflies in my stomach going full force.<p>

"You know," I said as we walked along, a cool winter breeze sending my hair flying around my face as we walked along the main street of Hogsmeade. "I wonder how Lily and James are doing. Think Lily's stormed off yet?"

"Nah, they're probably off in some corner, snogging each other senseless." Sirius mused, a smirk gracing his handsome features. "We are exceptional match-makers."

I laughed, "you might just be right." I told him, almost adding _"I can't believe they were trying to do the same for us." _before I caught myself. I hadn't exactly told Sirius about Lily and James's own plan.

"So I'm assuming Lily told you that they were trying to do the same thing for us?" he asked, a devilish grin on his face.

"I—" I said, my cheeks reddening, and not from the harsh winter wind. "She might have said something while we were at Honeydukes." I admitted, not meeting his gaze.

"Is it okay with you?" he asked, sounding worried. "I mean," he clarified, "do you want this to be a date?". I had to bite back my laughter at the sheer irony of his question. Was I _okay_ with going on a date with Sirius Black?

I stopped, turning to look at him. My hand found my necklace subconsciously, as I addressed him with a shy smile. "Do _you_ want this to be a date?"

He looked at me for a moment, his gaze traveling quickly between my eyes and my lips. "I…" he said, running a hand through his hair. "Yes, I would really like that."

I felt like my heart would burst, I was so happy. I grinned up at him, noticing for the second time in a week that he seemed about to kiss me.

"Well, then it is." I said quickly, feeling a little flustered, and somehow not ready to kiss him. I wanted to, of course, but this didn't seem like the right moment, standing in the middle of street, surrounded by other people. Instead I stepped back slightly, still smiling. He seemed to emerge out of a fog, blinking a few times and tearing his eyes away from my lips. "You owe me a visit to Honeydukes." I told him teasingly, "Come on."


	16. Shaken

**Author's Note**

Hey everybody! So after like a million band competitions, midterms, and insane writer's block, I'm back! I sincerely apologize for the long wait, but hopefully I'll be able to get back into the habit of updating more often. I have not given up on this story, and am completely set on seeing it through. Sometimes real life just gets in the way, huh?

Anyway, here is chapter 16! It's long, for one thing. It's also kind of creepy, but, well, this story is not exactly all rainbows and butterflies either, so I guess it shouldn't come as too much of a shock.

Reviews are GREATLY, massively appreciated, as usual. They mean a lot to me :) Please review! :)

Read, enjoy, review :)

Disclaimer: I do not own HP!

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><p><strong>16. Shaken<strong>

It had been a week since my _date _with Sirius, and although the flirting, stolen glances, and overwhelming sexual tension were still going full-force, school, quidditch, and—in my case—lessons with Dumbledore, had kept us busy.

I hadn't forgotten, unfortunately, the warning of my mother's note, nor could I shake the feeling of constant danger. I hated feeling like a coward, but the prospect of being hunted down by blood-thirsty death eaters was terrifying to me.

There was nothing I could do, though, I reflected as I got ready for bed the following Friday after the Hogsmeade trip, brushing out my hair and changing into my pajamas. Except for continuing with my private defense against the dark arts lessons and learning all I could at Hogwarts, the most I could do was hope that it would be a long time before Voldemort deciding to track me down.

It didn't stop a shiver from traveling down my spine, though, as I turned off the bathroom light and slipped back into Lily and I's bedroom, where she was already fast asleep, tired out from all the studying she had been doing lately.

I dove under my own covers, stifling a yawn and trying to steer my thoughts away from my family and the Dark Lord and towards pleasanter things. Like the way Sirius had looked when he and James had returned from Quidditch earlier in the evening both soaked to the bone and covered in mud after a hard practice in the pouring rain.

Said rain was still falling heavily as I smiled to myself in the dark, the image of Sirius, coated head to toe in muck and looking absolutely exhausted, appeared in my head like a light bulb. As the boys had entered the common room where Lily and I sat in front of the fire, working on our Potions homework, he hadn't failed to send a brilliant smile and flirtatious wink in my direction before heading up the stairs to the boys' dormitory.

Having retired shortly after that, I hadn't seen him afterwards, and now sincerely regretted it. I hadn't had a decent conversation with Sirius—just the two of us—since Hogsmeade. And while neither of us had said so (at least not in so many words), there was little doubt in my mind now that what was in store for the two of us was not merely a long-lasting friendship. Some way or another, Sirius Black and I had stepped far past that boundary of "friends" and on to something much more romantic, exciting, and, at least to me—bloody terrifying.

I sighed to myself in the darkness, squeezing my eyes shut. I was exhausted, and although my mind protested, I did my best to banish the thought of Sirius from my head as well, and instead settled on focusing my attention on the steady, almost hypnotic pitter-patter of rain outside the window. Before long, I was dreaming.

* * *

><p>I had awoken in a bed in a dark room that I didn't recognize, though at the same time it seemed oddly familiar. Pushing my thick hair back from my face, I sat up, peering around. The room, though it was hard to make much out with such little light, was ornately furnished, reminding me distinctly of my own room at the Villori Manor.<p>

I got out of bed, yawning, and proceeded across the room and into a side door that I instinctively knew to be the bathroom.

I switched on the light, and sure enough, the sight of a beautiful bathroom, as immaculately cleaned and decorated as the bedroom, greeted me. I stepped up to the gorgeous porcelain sink, turning on the faucet and looking at my reflection in the spotless and expensive-looking mirror in front of me. I frowned as I noticed my paler-than-usual complexion and the dark, deep circles under my eyes. I looked older, I realized with a start. I _was _older.

Above my right eyebrow, shining bone-white under the light of the crystal chandalier above me, was a scar. It was jagged, and interrupted the smooth skin of my forehead like a mountain-range interrupted a flat plain.

The sight of it was distinctly disturbing, and it sent a shiver up my spine as I raised my left hand, meaning to touch the long-healed wound with my fingertips.

I didn't get that far. Horror clenched my insides as I gazed in front of me at my raised hand, and more precisely, at the soft flesh of my inner forearm.

The dark mark stared back at me. I felt frozen and watched in terror as the snake, protruding out of the skull's mouth, sprung to life, rising out of its two-dimensional place on my arm and becoming a real, inky-black being, growing larger by the second as it coiled itself around me, wrapping around my arms, my abdomen, my neck.

At this point I screamed, struggling pointlessly against the black beast as it continued to tighten its grip on my body. Flailing around, I caught sight of my reflection once again, and saw my own eyes bright green and wide with terror.

Tears ran down my face as I fought desperately for air, and I could feel the muscles of the snake's body bunch as it held me ever tighter. Glancing down, I screamed again when I saw that the faucet was still running, not with water, but a brightly-colored, scarlet liquid.

The unmistakable, metallic smell of blood reached my nostrils, and I could neither scream nor move as the snake wrapped itself around me a final time, then lifted its head to stare straight into my face. With a final, haunting hiss, it opened its mouth, baring two long, deadly fangs.

In the blink of an eye, it sprung forward.

* * *

><p>I awoke, gasping for air, in a cold sweat.<p>

Frenzied, I sat up, glancing frantically around me, my hair sticking to my face, and my arms and legs twisted up impossibly in the sheets of my bed.

Still breathing hard and shaking badly, I freed myself hurriedly from the binding linen and stumbled into the bathroom, slamming down the light switch and grasping each side of the cold porcelain sink with both hands.

After a few deep breaths, I steeled myself and shakily lifted my left wrist, gasping when I saw that the soft white skin of my arm was unmarked.

I quickly brought my hand to my face, trembling, and bit my knuckle to keep from screaming. After a few more steadying breaths I quickly turned the tap on the sink and could have wept with relief when I saw that the water running out of the faucet was crystal clear.

I finally brought myself to glance up at the mirror.

I stared back at myself, taking in first the un-maimed skin above my eyebrow, but also noticing my pale white skin and the dark circles under my eyes, though they were significantly less than had been in my dream.

I felt myself shiver as I realized then that it _was_ a dream. Or a nightmare. Neither, though, seemed to suitably describe the unsettling experience I had just gone through.

I pushed my hair away from my face and neck where it was still stuck there, and grimaced when the black locks reminded me of the snake. Trying to compose myself, I splashed a bit of ice-cold water on my face, and came up spluttering but feeling relatively composed.

I leaned against the wall opposite the sink, contemplating. After a short time, I shut off the bathroom light, grabbed my wand off of my bedside table and quickly casted _lumos_ in a hushed whisper. I noticed two things as I crossed the room and headed for the stairs to the common room and the warm fire that awaited me there. Firstly, that Lily was still sound asleep, thankfully unaware of the ordeal I had just experienced. I also noticed that my hand, and by extension the bright light at the end of my wand, was shaking violently.

* * *

><p>I was barely surprised when I saw that, despite it being the middle of the night, the common room was not deserted.<p>

The creaking of the stairs that connected the girl's dormitories to the Gryffindor common room alerted Sirius to my presence, and he turned to face me from where he sat at the couch in front of the fire.

The half-smile on his face quickly turned to a look of alarm and worry when his eyes met mine.

He was at my side in an instant, wrapping his arms comfortingly around me and pulling me close to him.

"Adeline?" he said in a whispered tone as he stroked my hair and I buried my face in his shoulder. "Addy? What's wrong? What's happened? You're shaking."

"Nightmare," was all I could choke out, unable to say anything more and instead holding on tighter to him, letting the terror from my dream wash over me again, this time with renewed clarity.

So quickly I hardly even noticed, Sirius moved us to the couch, setting me down on it, then grabbed some blankets from seemingly nowhere and spreading them on top of me.

He stood there, hesitating, until I made a rather pitiful sound. Then, thankfully, he laid down beside me on the large couch that easily fit us both, wrapping his arms reassuringly around me once more. I felt warm, enclosed, and utterly safe as I laid there, Sirius behind me whispering comfortingly in my ear.

"Shh…" he said, stroking my hair as I cried softly, the images of my nightmare replaying over and over again. "It's all okay. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you. Just sleep."

* * *

><p>I did. I then woke, a while later, to find myself still in Sirius's strong, safe arms.<p>

I felt better, and I noticed that the shaking had ebbed considerably as I turned from my sideways position to face Sirius and found myself staring into a pair of insanely worried blue eyes.

"Hello," I whispered, my eyes searching his, and only then did I truly notice our rather interesting position, his arms still securely around me, my hands on his chest, our lips only inches apart.

"Hey," he whispered back, his forehead creased with worry. "You okay?"

I sat up then, smoothing down my hair. He did too, though he still kept one arm around my shoulders as we moved to lean against the back of the couch. "Yeah," I said as he stretched the blanket over us, our legs still tangled together. "Just a little shaken up."

He squeezed my shoulder slightly, looking over at me. When he spoke, his voice was laced with concern. "Want to tell me what happened?"

I did, leaving nothing out. It seemed unthinkable to keep this from Sirius, as much as I hated to worry him. But he deserved to know—even if it _was _just a dream—especially after the way he had just taken care of me.

And really, the way he had always taken care of me.

He listened mostly in silence, stroking my shoulder soothingly when I described the snake, and the way it had coiled around me, trying to squeeze me to death.

"I had a feeling that you would be down here," I said, shrugging, my story coming to a close. "And so I came to see."

"It's weird," he said, his breath warm on my neck and shoulder as he turned to look at me again. "I had a feeling that you would need me tonight."

"I did." I said simply, and we descended into silence. I stared forward, at the fire that still crackled comfortingly a few yards away. After a while, he turned his gaze away from my face and we sat watching the embers together. I felt safer than I had in years.


	17. Fate

**Author's Note**

Hello! Here, ladies and gentlemen, is chapter 17 in _The Blood of Kings_. Aren't you shocked at how fast I got this chapter out? Me too! :)

On a more depressing note, I only had ONE review from last chapter (But thank you SO much, Writer-Reader-Comedian-Random!).

Please, please, please review! Just a sentence, is all it takes, to totally make my day and get me writing faster! Please let me know whether you liked it, loved it, or absolutely hated every single word. I'm even open to suggestions for what you want to see happen in this story. It would be so helpful! Thank you!

Alright, I'm done begging now! Here's chapter 17!

Read, enjoy, review! :)

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><p><strong>17. Fate<strong>

After sleeping on the common room couch for another few hours, Sirius and I awoke to the wide-eyed stares of about half the Gryffindor house.

"Oi!" he said, sitting up, his right arm _still _around my shoulders, and using the other arm to shoo them away. "Nothing to see here!"

They scattered, eventually, until only Lily and James remained, each frowning comically, their arms crossed, the very picture of disapproval. "Well?" said Lily, her eyes narrowed accusingly at Sirius, then me. "Care to explain why you two decided to have a sleepover in the common room?"

"Come on Lils," I said, a little sheepishly, smoothing down my hair and disentangling my legs from Sirius', "You sound like McGonagall. I had a bad dream, and Sirius helped me feel better. That's all."

She harrumphed, but eventually quit glaring and grabbed James by the elbow, disappearing through the portrait hole with him in tow.

We watched them go, then stood up off of the couch, smiling shyly at each other.

"Well," said Sirius, running a hand through his dark hair, "That was interesting."

"Sirius," I said, stepping up hesitantly, "I can't even tell you how grateful I am for you. You're always there when I need you, always helping me… Thank you so much."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him, smiling slightly when his own arms wrapped around my waist and squeezed back just as hard.

When we pulled apart, I couldn't help but flush scarlet as he kept his hands on my waist and kissed my forehead softly, then smiled warmly down at me.

"I was thinking…" he said, grinning at my blushing face, "That after the night's events… you could do with a bit of fun."

While my first instinct was to decline, as I had initially decided to spend the day studying for NEWTS, I found myself unable to deny myself the opportunity to spend even a little while with Sirius.

"You know…" I said, smiling back at him. "I think you may be right."

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, I had showered, magically dried and straightened my hair, and was frowning cynically at my closet, cursing the fact that anyone had yet to come up with a spell that could pick out stylish outfits for you.<p>

After a quick internal debate, I finally settled on dark jeans and a simple gray blouse, and hoped sincerely that Sirius wouldn't mind my rather unimaginative fashion choices. As an afterthought, I put on a bit of mascara.

When I descended the stairs, I found him already waiting for me in the common room, standing there somewhat bashfully in jeans and a rather dorky sweater, probably given to him by the wonderfully domestic Mrs. Potter.

"Hey," I said, grinning up at him as I approached.

"Hey yourself," was his reply, and only then did I notice, as he readjusted his grip on the object, that he was carrying a picnic basket—red gingham tablecloth and all—in one hand.

"What's that you've got there?" I asked, as we headed to the portrait hole, him with a rather mischievous smile on his face.

"A picnic basket!" he said brightly, not missing a beat.

"Well, yes," I said, laughing and elbowing him slightly as we waited for the staircase to change, "I suppose a better question is… what _are_ we doing with this picnic basket?"

"You'll see!" he said in a sing-song voice as we now crossed the great hall, earning a few quizzical looks from nearby students as we made our way. I blushed lightly as a few girls from my year narrowed their eyes at me, jealousy written all over their faces.

I tore my gaze away from them, instead glancing over at the tall, handsome boy walking next to me, who was smiling slightly as we walked along. It didn't matter what other people thought, I then realized. It didn't matter at all.

* * *

><p>Sirius, I soon became to understand, was a bit of a romantic. We had made our way out of the great hall and onto the school grounds, walking in companionable silence until we reached one of the impressively huge trees that lined the pebbly shore of the lake.<p>

"A picnic by the water," I said, as Sirius, blushing ever so slightly, laid out the tablecloth on the ground under the tree and began unpacking food from the basket. "This is maybe one of the sweetest things any one has ever done for me."

Sirius froze, a bottle of pumpkin juice in each hand, and glanced up at me, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Is it really?"

"I would say so," I said, smiling too and plucking one of the bottles from his hand as I sat down and took a small sip. "It's certainly the most romantic."

"_Excellent_," he breathed in response, looking away from me, now most definitely blushing. I don't think he had actually wanted me to hear that, and with a rather mischievous smile, I decided to change the subject.

"And wherever do you think Lily and James ran off to?" I asked, picking up some potato salad and feeling incredibly grateful that the house elves had taken such a tremendous liking towards the Marauders. "Think they're off snogging in some remote corner of the castle?"

"Wouldn't surprise me one bit," he said, taking a sip of his own pumpkin juice, shaking his head disapprovingly. "The looks those two give each other when they think we aren't watching…"

* * *

><p>We talked about a great number of things as Sirius and I enjoyed our picnic, both of us eating far too much and in the end collapsing onto our backs side-by-side in food-induced fatigue.<p>

"Nice sweater," I remarked lazily, happily enjoying my full belly, the beautiful weather, and some time alone with Sirius.

"Hey, I like this sweater." He said a little defensively, though I could tell without even having to glance over at him that he was grinning cheekily. "Mrs. Potter made it for me this past Christmas."

"You like them a lot, don't you?" I said, turning my head now to stare at his perfect profile. "The Potters?"

"Absolutely." he said, his eyes on the tree branches above us. "They're the kind of family I never had. Loving, normal, not obsessed with blood and money…" he trailed off, then seemed to stiffen, glancing over at me. "Oh." he said, looking guilty. "Addy, I—"

"It's alright," I said, smiling lightly at him. "We both come from pretty messed up backgrounds. It doesn't bother me. I'm glad you have the Potters."

His eyes searched mine for a second more before he faced upwards again, returning his gaze to the boughs overhead. "I am too. James says I can stay with them over the summer, so I'll never have to go back to that damned house again. I must say I'm incredibly relieved."

"So am I." I told him, still watching his profile. "It doesn't seem like a very nice place."

"It wasn't." he told me, brows furrowed. "Too much hate, too much pure-blood obsession. I couldn't stand it." he shook his head. "I knew, ever since I was little, that I was nothing like my family, nor could I ever fit into that mold they had tried to push me into for so long."

"I wish I'd known like you." I said, frowning slightly. He turned to look at me now, and our eyes met, though neither of us looked away as I continued to speak. "I wish I'd been strong enough to defy my parents like you did, right from the start. Instead, all I'd ever tried to do was fit into that mold, and it was only once I came here and met you and Lily and the others that I realized that I never could, and didn't _want_ to." I shivered, remembering the turmoil I had experienced those first few months, and then again, at the manor over Christmas, when I had struggled with my past and my family's convictions. "Sometimes I wonder…" I said, looking into Sirius's blue eyes, framed by those impossibly long black lashes. "What would I have done, if I hadn't come here? Hadn't met you, and realized how backwards my entire life was? Would I have become that person in my dream, with the pale skin and the scars and the dark mark?" I shuddered, remembering the woman I had seen staring back at me in the mirror during that horrible nightmare. I was almost convinced that _that_ was the Adeline Villori I would have become, had my life taken the path my family had laid out for me.

"I don't think so," said Sirius, gazing at me with solemnity. "You would have realized on your own, eventually, who you really were. What you really stood for." he smiled, a little shyly, and his hand reached forward, resting ever so softly on top of my pale one. "And I think that, in time, we would have found our way to each other, even if your life had taken a different course."

I felt my heartbeat begin to pick up, his words and his touch sending tiny shockwaves up and down my body. "What if I'd been branded with the dark mark? What if I was a sworn death-eater, when we finally met? Would you want anything to do with me?" I didn't know what compelled me to ask this, but the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I had some strong desire to know if Sirius would still want me, had fate brought us together in a different time, in a darker turn of events.

"Absolutely." He whispered, threading his fingers through mine, and lifting my hand to his lips, where he brushed them against the soft, unmarked skin of my left forearm, never breaking my gaze.

I squeezed his fingers slightly, blushing, but having never felt before such a feeling of exhilaration and unbelievable love towards the boy lying beside me.

"Adeline," he breathed now, watching me with an expression that I knew without a doubt was written all over my own face as well. His voice was almost hoarse with emotion, and as I stared into his eyes, there was suddenly no doubt in my mind that Sirius cared for me just as much as I did for him.

"I know," I said, never breaking his gaze.


	18. Favors

**Author's Note**

Hey, everybody! Here's chapter 18! Not much to say up here in the author's note... it's a relatively short chapter, but oh well! Hope you guys enjoy it!

Read, enjoy, review! :)

I don't own HP!

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><p><strong>18. Favors<strong>

I was frozen, watching Sirius with wide eyes. The sudden realization that the other returned our feelings wholeheartedly had dawned on us both at the exact same moment. My heart was beating wildly as he moved closer to me on the blanket, his face mere inches from mine.

My eyes fluttered closed on instinct, and I felt his sweet, cool breath on my lips, and then, finally, after such a long wait, Sirius was kissing me, softly…

"James!" I heard someone call out in a hushed voice, and Sirius and I broke apart, him cursing loudly, as we both looked up to see none other than our two best friends, hand in hand, staring at us, shocked and red-faced.

"Oh _bloody hell._" said Lily loudly, stamping her foot, having recovered from the shock of discovering me and Sirius. "I knew we should have stayed at the castle. We've just barged in on their romantic, perfect little moment. _Damn. _Sorry Addy!" Then she whirled around, pulling James along behind her, in the direction of the castle. James, good-natured as always, shot Sirius a thumbs up and wide smile before he was dragged out of sight.

"Oh my," I said, looking back at Sirius, who was staring at the spot our friends had just vacated with a rather annoyed look on his face. "Did Lily just curse? Twice?"

He laughed at this, his expression transforming back into its regular good-natured smirk, and looked back down at me, a twinkle in his eye. "I think it was a suitable response, given the circumstances."

He sat up, and I could feel the intense atmosphere from just a few moments prior dissipating like a fog being lifted. I sat up too, looking shyly at him. "Pity they had to interrupt." I said, as I began helping him pack up our food, then stood, picking up one side of the table cloth to be folded.

"I've probably played over the way that scene would go in my head a hundred different ways." He told me, picking up the opposite corners of the plaid linen, blushing slightly. "And I must admit, I never imagined that Lily and James would be involved in any capacity."

* * *

><p>Our walk back to the castle was oddly void of tension. We didn't talk much, but I felt so at ease, walking beside Sirius, not quite touching, but still fully aware of his warm, positive presence next to me.<p>

We made it to the great hall just as the sun was setting, painting the sky a brilliant mix of pinks, oranges, and yellows.

Sirius headed for the kitchens, saying he wanted to thank the house elves and drop off our picnic supplies, and I headed for our usual spot at the Gryffindor table, spotting Lily's flaming red hair from across the room. She was at my side in an instant, pulling me over to where Remus sat, watching us with an amused look on his face.

"Oh _Addy_!" she said as she tugged me along. "I cannot even _begin _to describe how utterly sorry I am for—"

"It's alright," I said, cutting her off as we sat back down, partly because I knew that it was better to stop Lily before she really got into apology-mode, and partly because I didn't want the entire world knowing about my kiss (or almost kiss?) with Sirius. At least not yet.

"Oh." said Lily, raising her ginger eyebrows at me. "Worried about Rem? He already knows. He took one look at my face when I walked in the hall and _demanded_ I tell him what was the matter."

Lily's attention was momentarily distracted by something across the hall, and I glanced over at Remus, who shook his head, rolling his eyes at Lily with a small smile on his lips.

"Right," I said, as Lily returned her interest to me. "Well, anyway, it's no bother. There will be other opportunities for—"

"Absolutely." said Lily, once again peering through the crowd towards something behind me. "It just happened, you know? James and I decided to go for a walk near the lake and _BOOM_, there you two were. By the time we noticed you it was too late to sneak away quietly, and James was right near about to step on—" she stopped her monologue, which I had only been half-listening anyway to as I served myself some shepard's pie, abruptly. "Oh dear," she said, watching something over my shoulder.

"What?" I asked, turning around in my seat, following her gaze. Then I saw them, grinning widely as they made their way over to us.

Sirius Black and James Potter, each carrying large bouquets of flowers, marched along the Gryffindor table, coming to a stop right in front of Lily and I, where we sat, watching them suspiciously.

"Dearest Lily," said James in a booming voice, full of bravado, as the entire hall turned to watch the boys, and us.

"And my lovely Adeline," said Sirius, giving a little bow.

"Would you do us lowly, undeserving—" that was James.

"—but deeply admiring men—" Sirius.

"—the honor of accompanying us—" James.

"—to the Spring-time ball—" Sirius.

"—next Friday, on the 23rd of March?" ended James, with another bow, and a heartbreaking grin aimed at Lily. Sirius matched this gallantly, winking at me.

They presented us with the flowers, tulips for me, and, unsurprisingly, lilies for Lily, then raised their eyebrows, looking for a response.

Lily and I exchanged a look as the entire hall waited, hardly saying a word. Then Lily giggled slightly as I said, smirking at Sirius. "I suppose we could help you boys out."

An eruption of cheers—mostly, I noticed, from the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff houses—greeted my words. James and Sirius high-fived, then waved at McGonagall, who was sitting at the teacher's table, watching approvingly.

"Well that went well," said Sirius, kissing me on the cheek and causing me to blush fiercely as he sat down on the bench next to me, James sitting across from Lily, next to Remus.

"I'd say so," said James, tucking into the plate that Lily had already served for him with an appreciative smile. "McGonagall seemed pleased, anyway."

"Right-o," said Sirius, catching my eye. "Oh!" he said in response to Lily and I's looks of confusion. "It was all McGonagall's idea, you know. Ask you girls in front of everyone, get people excited for the ball and such. It looks like it worked."

"Ah," said Lily, eyebrows raised. "So that was a publicity stunt, was it?"

The boys looked taken aback. Shaking his head wildly, James said, "Of course not! We would have asked you two anyway, naturally. We just wanted to help Minnie out. She works so hard, and all…" he added authoritatively as Lily nodded, smirking at him.

"If it was my choice," Sirius whispered in my ear, as the conversation at our table fell on some different subject, "I would have asked you somewhere more… private." He winked at me, and I flushed, as I so often did lately.

"So basically," I whispered back, making him shiver slightly, "you did this to get out of detention with McGonagall?"

"_Precisely_." he said, kissing my cheek again.


	19. Dancing

**Author's Note**

Ah! Hi guys! So yes, I know I'm uploading two chapters in one day. And I know that is TOTALLY CRAZY, but oh my goodness, I just cannot help myself. I had this one done (spring break from high school and all), and figured I might as well just put it out there.

I love this chapter. It's long, it introduces a brand new plot element, and oh man, Sirius and Addy...

Well, you'll see :)

BY THE WAY, I put pictures of Adeline and Lily's dresses on my profile! Check them out!

Anyway, I'm totes proud. And I would absolutely, positively, it-would-make-my-heart-sing-with-everlasting-joy-ly, love some reviews on it. Please? Pretty, pretty please?

It's weird, for some reason the website isn't allowing me to see how many hits this story has gotten in the past two days. Is this happening to anyone else? It's kind of freaking me out. Like, at least one person has read this story in the past 48 hours, right?

Right?

Oh. My. Gosh. Please review before I go crazy! (and read and enjoy, of course!)

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

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><p><strong>19. Dancing<strong>

"I'm nervous." said Lily, as she stood in front of our dormitory's full length mirror, fiddling with one of the straps on her dress. "Extremely, frantically nervous."

"Oh Lils," I said, coming up behind her and putting my head on her shoulder. "You look gorgeous. James will probably dislocate his own jaw, he'll be so shocked when you come down the stairs."

"Maybe pink isn't my color, though." she said doubtfully, frowning at her reflection. We had been spending an embarrassingly long time getting ready for tonight—the Spring-time ball. Though it was very unlike us to dwell on appearances, Lily and I had decided, after much debate, to ignore our own better judgment and submit fully to romantic whimsy.

Now Lily stood, hair gracefully curling over her shoulders, in a pale pink dress that reached just above her knees. A tiny butterfly charm hung on a delicate golden chain around her neck, and she had allowed me, after much persuading, to add a little make-up around her green eyes, making them stand out brighter than ever.

I smiled at my best friend and confidante because—despite Lily's own last-minute insecurities—she looked breath-taking to say the least.

"Pink _is_ your color." I told her seriously. "You look like a million bucks."

She narrowed her eyes at me, apparently trying to decide if I was just humoring her, or if I really meant it (I did), but eventually she just shrugged and flashed me a brilliant smile, turning us around so that I was the one now revealed in the mirror.

"Not nearly as gorgeous as you, mademoiselle." she said, grinning, her hands on my shoulders.

I smiled as I surveyed my appearance in the mirror. My dress was blue, one-shouldered, with a silvery, flowery detail around the waist. My hair, in an attempt to switch things up a bit, had been pinned-up (courtesy of Lily) on the top of my head, leaving the milky-white skin of my shoulders and neck exposed. I had on a bit of eye-make-up too, but hardly more than usual.

Eventually, Lily and I ended up in front of the mirror side-by-side, and we leaned our heads together, taking a mental snap-shot. "You think tonight's the night we snag these boys for good?" I asked, eyebrows raised.

"Better be, with as much effort as we put in today." She grumbled, but then became more serious. "I hope so. I can't believe I'm saying it, but I am _so_ ready to be James Potter's girlfriend."

I laughed, because as soon as Lily said those words, she blanched, visibly. While she muttered, "_oh my god. I have officially gone insane." _I glanced at the clock, then whirled around, grabbed her hand, and pulled her towards the door. "We're late!"

* * *

><p>"Oh, here they finally come," I heard Sirius say, as Lily and I descended the stairs in a dramatic fashion.<p>

"Bloody long time it took them," muttered James as we prepared to round the bend, and I glanced over at Lily, who rolled her eyes.

"I don't see why girls need so much time to get ready for these things, it's not like—"

And then there was silence, as Lily and I turned the corner, and the boys got a look at us. I smirked, not even trying to hide my amusement at their comic reactions.

They were standing there, slack-jawed, staring at us as though they'd never seen a girl before.

"Shut your mouth, James," said Lily charmingly, walking right over to him and gently pushing up his chin. It snapped closed with an audible click. "Don't want flies to get in."

She winked at me, then started pulling James along, (who now had a goofy grin on his face, and seemed to be enjoying himself thoroughly) towards the portrait-hole. "You two coming?" she asked.

"Yes," I said, raising my eyebrows at Sirius, who had yet to say a word. "You feeling all right, Black?" I asked, placing the back of my hand against his cheek, checking his temperature.

The initial action was done purely out of maternal instinct (and maybe a subconscious—although strong—desire to touch him), but I felt almost as if tiny shock-waves were racing between us when my skin met his. I was then hyper-aware of Sirius in front of me, looking ridiculously handsome in his dress robes. I realized he must have gotten a hair-cut sometime during the afternoon, because his unruly dark hair was now shorter, covering most of his forehead and ears.

He looked at me, staring blankly, then grinned, his dark lashes framing those brilliant grey-blue eyes that were now twinkling with excitement. I had no doubt in my mind that he had felt that little jolt of chemistry too.

"I'm _excellent_." he said, his eyes now sweeping over me flirtatiously as he offered his arm, and I took it, feeling as giddy as a thirteen year-old girl with her first crush.

"Lead the way!" I called to Lily, who was smirking at us from her spot near the portrait hole, while James, in his typical, slightly clueless fashion, simply stared at her, love-struck.

* * *

><p>The Great Hall had been transformed in such a way that I simply <em>could not<em> believe that it was the same room in which I usually ate my morning oatmeal.

"Wow," I breathed, my hand still on Sirius's arm, stopping dead to take in my surroundings.

It was beautiful. The house tables had been removed, though the ceiling still remained bewitched, showcasing its typical dark night sky for this time of day, though it was filled with stars, twinkling brightly overhead.

A dance floor was visible at the far end of the hall, and where the head table usually took up residence, a stage was set up, some wizarding band playing a peppy melody, couples and groups of friends dancing along to the beat.

Nearest to the entrance, round tables—seating six or so comfortably—were set up at various intervals, with giant bouquets of flowers adorning the surfaces. Above each bouquet was a floating lantern, filled with some kind of bright, glittering substance. A few teachers could be seen sitting at these tables, students at others, chatting or taking a quick break from dancing, drinks of all kinds in hand.

Glancing around I caught the eye of McGonagall, who seemed to be having a pleasant chat with the defense against dark arts teacher, Professor Lark. To my shock, she smiled, waving amiably at me and Sirius, who waved back enthusiastically.

"It looks excellent, Min—I mean, Professor!" called Sirius, catching himself at the last moment and smiling charmingly at McGonagall, who rolled her eyes but nodded in response just the same, looking amused.

"On speaking terms with McGonagall?" I asked him as we made our way towards the towering trays of drinks and refreshments that took up almost an entire wall of the room. Usually the head of Gryffindor house was dragging Sirius and James (and occasionally Remus) around by their ears, assigning detentions on an almost weekly basis.

"Oh, Minnie and I are close." said Sirius breezily, smiling down at me. "She pretends to act all tough and disapproving, but really, she loves us."

I laughed, because I knew that in all truth, Sirius had just as much respect for the severe witch as I did. He handed me a glass of pumpkin juice, my favorite, then looked around, making a satisfied noise when he apparently found what he was searching for. "What?" I asked, following his gaze.

I didn't have to look far, because not 10 feet away from us and approaching fast was Remus, looking slightly nervous but rather pleased with himself. On his arm was a short, pretty girl that looked oddly familiar to me. Though my mind searched for a connection, I couldn't make one.

"Hey Addy, Padfoot." said Remus, smiling and pushing his sandy blonde hair away from his forehead with one long-fingered hand. "This is my date, Jeanette Lowry."

"Hi," said Jeanette, and I suddenly realized why she looked so familiar. It was her eyes. They were blue on the edges, but an almost startling shade of brown near the pupil. There was only one other person I had met with eyes like that.

_She's Coraline's daughter._ I realized with a start.

Coraline Lowry, wife of Edgar Lowry, had been my mother's closest, oldest friend. Edgar had been a deatheater, a friend of my father's who had, after many years of service to the Dark Lord, been deemed a traitor.

The appropriate measures had been taken, and Edgar, as well as Coraline—who it had been decided knew _far_ too much to be allowed to live freely—had been arrested by the ministry almost immediately. To my knowledge, they remained in Azkaban to this day.

I had asked my mother, then only seven years old and unable to comprehend this sudden disappearance, why Miss Coraline, her best friend, no longer came to visit. She had refused to say a word on the subject, instead growing quite pale and telling me to run along and practice my reading, or play with one of my toys.

Bewildered but curious, I had gone to Roy, then an ambitious teenager, for answers. He had grown quite serious, kneeling down to my level and grasping me by the shoulders. "Adeline," he had said to me authoritatively, glancing around to make sure no one was listening in on our conversation, "Mr. and Mrs. Lowry did a very bad thing. They betrayed the Dark Lord, and so they had to be punished."

I had nodded at this, because in my naïve, simple mind, this made sense. If you crossed Daddy's leader, the Dark Lord, you were the bad one. "What happened to them?" I asked, eye's wide.

"Father had them sent away!" said Roy, his voice somewhat awe-filled, as it always was when discussing our father. "Daddy has the power to have them put in jail forever, so that they can never betray the Dark Lord again!"

I had not thought much about Coraline after that. She was just another person who had become a victim of the Dark Lord's wrath, someone who had practically ceased to exist.

But never, _ever_, had I been aware that Edgar and Coraline had a child. But as I looked at this girl, standing there, the spitting image of her mother, and with those eyes that I would recognize anywhere, there was no doubt in my mind that she was their daughter.

I snapped out of my remembrance as Sirius and Remus chatted for a moment, and Jeanette smiled shyly at me. I stared blankly back, shocked by our meeting, the memories it brought back to me, and the questions it raised. Did she know about her parents? How had _I _not known she _existed_?

But before I could even gather my thoughts in order to form a coherent sentence to say to the girl, she and Remus were walking away from us, towards the dance floor.

"—seen her around before," Sirius was saying, nodding in their direction. "Fifth-year in Ravenclaw. Grew up in a foster-home, apparently. Don't know much about her, but Moony is absolutely smitten, that's for sure." Suddenly his voice was close to my ear, startling me out of my thoughts once again, "Addy?" he questioned. "Everything all right?"

I looked at him, wondering whether I should say something to him now about this girl and her weird past. But one look at those blue eyes, shining with concern, and I made up my mind.

_Later_, I decided, grinning at him instead and pulling him towards the dance floor. Right now, I wanted to just enjoy this time with him. Everything else could wait.

* * *

><p>"Who knew you could dance." I said cheekily, smiling as we swayed slightly to the music. It was nearing 10 'o clock and the ball was still going full force. Glancing around, I noticed many other couples from all houses of Hogwarts dancing too, happily talking and laughing.<p>

Sirius was looking at me with a rather pleased expression on his face. "Well, you know, I've picked up a few things over the years." he said, waving a hand dismissingly.

I laughed, clapping along with the other dancers as the song—a cheerful tune about a witch's sixteenth summer—ended.

The next song began, slow and romantic, and I blushed slightly as Sirius raised his eyebrows suggestively, a lop-sided grin on his face as he stepped a bit closer to me and placed his hands on my hips.

I wrapped mine around his neck and we fell into step with the music, swaying gently back and forth.

"I love it when you blush," he whispered in my ear, and I felt a shiver run involuntarily up my spine. "It's so pretty. You look gorgeous tonight, by the way."

"Thanks." I said, probably blushing more. "I like your new haircut." I added, steering the conversation towards less dangerous territory and playing with the now short strands of hair on the back of his neck with my fingertips.

"Thanks." he said, matching my own tone almost perfectly, that grin still going strong. I was insanely aware, even more than usual, of his presence. I felt like the air around us was electric, practically crackling with the strength of the chemistry between us. I wondered if he felt it too. "It's weird, but I always tend to keep it short when I'm happy."

"You're happy?" I breathed, smiling up at him. I knew the answer._ I_ was on cloud-nine myself, and the way he was looking at me…

"Are you kidding?" he asked, chuckling, his thumbs making small circles on my hips as he moved them slightly. "I've never been so happy in my entire life."

"I'm glad." was my response, coming out almost as a whisper, and in a moment of brilliant courage, I stretched up a bit, leaning slightly into him as I kissed his cheek softly, able to feel just the hint of stubble as my skin brushed against his.

To my slight surprise, he kept me close to him when I went to pull away, and our foreheads rested together, instinctually, the air seeming to literally buzz with intensity. All I was aware of was Sirius, as our eyes met, our bodies pressed together, our breath mingling as we stopped swaying to the music altogether and simply stood there, in our own little haven of—to be honest—pure love.

His gaze dropped briefly from my eyes to my lips, and I could tell, without a doubt, that he wanted to kiss me. And I sure as hell wanted to kiss him.

But after a brief millisecond of indecision, Sirius stepped back. For a terrible moment, I thought he had decided against it, and ultimately _me_, altogether.

But then his hand found mine, and with a powerful sense of urgency he pulled me behind him, our fingers laced together, weaving through the dancing couples on the floor at a quick pace.

I hardly had time to ask where we were going before we had burst out of the great hall and I was being led with great haste up stairs, up and up and up…

We went through a door and I found myself on a balcony, staring out at the most beautiful sight. Stars, all around, even more than there had been in the great hall. The mountains that surrounded Hogwarts loomed up, black against the bright sky, and the surface of the water below the castle reflected the sight overhead perfectly. I felt like I was in the middle of the solar-system itself.

"This is amazing," I breathed, feeling the chilly night air on my skin and almost forgetting for a moment the night's events, and who I was even with, as I looked upon the awe-inspiring landscape.

"I agree." said Sirius from next to me, and that undeniable chemistry, that for whatever reason was stronger tonight than it ever had been, hit me like a wave once more.

Now I remembered. I looked over at him, and felt tenderness wash over me as he stood there, grinning sheepishly and holding out the jacket of his dress robe to me. "You look cold." he said, sticking his hands in his pockets and leaning against a nearby wall. I grinned at him, standing there, with his broad shoulders and tall figure, the sleeves of his white collared shirt rolled up a few times, his Gryffindor tie loosened slightly.

"Well," I said, beaming at him and putting on the jacket, which smelled absolutely wonderful, like Sirius and pumpkins and all things good in the world. "I hadn't been expecting an impromptu expedition to the Astronomy tower."

He gave a nervous laugh, and I saw his cheeks redden slightly as I took a few steps towards him, eyebrows raised. "I uh…"

"Yes, Sirius?" I questioned playfully, looking at him through my eyelashes like Lily had taught me.

He swallowed, but then apparently the bold, romantic Sirius won out, because he stepped forward to meet me, placing his hands on my hips again as I wrapped mine around his neck. It was a movement that already seemed like second-nature.

"I couldn't stand it." He muttered, as he slowly rotated us so that it was now _me_ with my back against the wall of the tower. "Here you are, looking more beautiful than anyone has a right to, and it's been torture for me, not being able to kiss you since that day by the lake." I blushed, and might have said something, but he just kept talking, the words spilling out, his eyes never leaving mine. "And bloody hell, on the dance floor… I wanted to kiss you so badly, but I wanted it to be special, and—"

I cut him off, not with my own words or a raised finger, but with my lips, pressed softly against his.

For a moment he didn't respond, seemingly shocked. But then, almost hesitantly, he was kissing me back, his lips feather-light but almost caressing upon my own.

Our tongues met simultaneously, in perfect sync. Not fighting for dominance, but dancing together, exploring.

It was perfect, utter bliss.

Before long, Sirius was kissing me with great enthusiasm, yet there was something deeper behind it.

Love. Passion. Adoration.

I moved my fingertips lightly, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck again, as our lips and tongues pressed softly back and forth.

He smiled through the kiss, his nose brushing slightly against mine, and I knew at that moment, surrounded by stars and in the arms of this amazing boy who I knew without a doubt would protect me and love me until we were old and gray, that I was the luckiest girl in the world.


	20. Content

**Author's Note**

Hey everybody! Here's chapter 20! I can't write much (though I doubt many people read these author's notes anyway, lol. But if you do, hi!) because the battery on my computer is about to die so... please enjoy! And review! Every single one makes me so incredibly happy, and motivates me to write more! Pretty, pretty please!

Also, I put up pictures of how I imagine Sirius on my profile (and a long rambling description)! Check it out!

Read, enjoy, review! Ciao!

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

* * *

><p><strong>20. Brilliant<strong>

"James Potter does not have a single brain cell in that ruddy, handsome head of his." Lily muttered, sitting down on my empty bed with a huff and burying herself in my sheets.

I walked out of the bathroom after my morning shower, dried my hair with a flick of my wand, and sat down next to her, patting the bedding-covered blob that was Lily sympathetically. "Do tell, my dear." I said.

"The entire night, I flirt." She told me, frustration evident in her tone. "I flirt, I flirt, and I _flirt_."

"I take it he didn't respond the way you expected him to?"

"He bloody well did _not_." she agreed, sitting up and leaning against my bed frame. "After six years of love proclamations, near-constant begging, and _endless_ flirting, _all on his end_, I try to return the favor, and he just becomes all _gentlemanly. _That bloody _fool_!"

I could have laughed, had Lily not looked close to mental, her eyes wide and her pale skin flushed in anger. Instead I laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, and decided to be judicial. "Well, Lils." I said, trying to make her see reason. "The boy has finally snagged a real date with you. He doesn't want to scare you off with all the stuff that _used_ _to_ drive you completely insane."

She looked ready to argue, but I cut her off. "So, obviously, you need to _tell him_ that you want more. After the initial shock, I'm sure he will respond exactly how you want him to. James is nothing if not enthusiastic."

Lily looked doubtful, but seemed to be taking my advice seriously enough. "Well all right then, little Miss Relationship guru—" she stopped talking abruptly, then looked at me with wide eyes, before screaming at the top of her lungs. I was surprised no one burst through the door, expecting a murder to be taking place.

"Oh. My. God. Adeline." said Lily, practically tackling me off the bed. "What happened with you and Sirius? Give me all the details!"

I rolled my eyes at my best friend's antics, but smiled shyly, a blush appearing almost immediately on my face. "Oh, this is going to be good." said Lily, nodding seriously. "Did you kiss? Did he proclaim his undying—?"

"We did kiss." I said, rolling my eyes again. After a brief pause, where Lily looked ready to strangle me if I didn't offer up more details, I added, "And bloody hell, it was magnificent."

She grinned, looking kind of like a maniac, to be honest. "When? Where? For how long?"

I told her, feeling happier by the second. I also really, _really _wanted to see Sirius. Checking the clock, I noticed that it was almost a half hour later than it usually was when we met the boys for breakfast. "Come, come." I said after finishing my synopsis of the night's events, pulling Lily off my bed and throwing clothes at her. In typical, dramatic Lily fashion, she was still in her pajamas.

"But wait!" she said, changing quickly while I checked my reflection. It was a little silly, but I wanted to look good for—

"Is Sirius your boyfriend? Are you two officially a couple now?" asked Lily, eyebrows raised, as she hopped around the room, trying to put on socks.

I thought about this.

I didn't really know the answer.

"I certainly hope so." I said, my hand on the doorknob. "But it _would_ be rather nice if he asked me."

Lily nodded seriously. "And it would be nice if James laid a single finger on me, the git." she followed me out the door, shutting it behind her. "Let's just hope our boys have gained some wisdom overnight."

* * *

><p>Seeing Sirius after all that had transpired the night before was as exciting and nerve-racking as I had ever imagined.<p>

Lily and I descended the stairs to find the two boys waiting for us in the otherwise deserted common room. James was pacing wildly in front of the ever-roaring fireplace, while Sirius was stretched out on a nearby loveseat, hands clasped behind his head.

It was a classic scene, as was the way they both jumped when they noticed us, Sirius grinning widely at me, while James looked as though he was about to jump off a mile-high cliff.

I grinned back at Sirius, feeling almost dizzy with happiness, the butterflies in my stomach going full-force.

"James," Lily was saying, marching right up to the tall, bespectacled boy in front of the fire. "Come. We need to talk."

She pulled him out of the room—as she was always doing, it seemed—leaving Sirius and I quite alone.

"So," he said, hands in his pockets, blushing slightly. "I wanted to ask you something."

I smirked at him, though inside I was insanely relieved that he seemed just as nervous as I was. Walking forwards, I stopped right in front of him. He took my hands in his, smiling shyly at me. "Yes?" I asked.

"Adeline Villori, you amazing girl." said Sirius, seemingly emboldened by my actions. "Will you do me the great honor of being my girlfriend?"

I smiled widely, then stretched up to whisper in his ear, before kissing him softly on the lips.

"Of course I will, Sirius Black, you wonderful boy."

* * *

><p>"This all seems rather surreal." I said, as Sirius and I made our way down to breakfast, hand in hand. His palm was warm against mine and wonderfully comforting. Neither of us could stop smiling, I realized. Not even the hostile looks from most of the girls we passed in the hallway could dampen my mood.<p>

_Ignore them,_ I told myself firmly.

"Yes," agreed Sirius, grinning at me as we walked into the Great Hall. "I think you might need to pinch me. This seems eerily similar to practically every dream I've had in the past few months."

We came upon Remus and Peter, the former looking sleepy but pleased to see us, while the latter was busy munching on his breakfast.

"It's reality," said Remus in a flat voice, having heard the end of Sirius' response. He was looking through the Daily Prophet with a tired expression. "I promise."

Sirius and I both laughed, and Remus looked up at us, eyebrows raised, when he noticed our rather sheepish expressions, and our hands, which were still entwined.

"Well I certainly missed something," he said, a mischievous grin on his face.

"That you did, Moony," said Sirius, looking slightly regretful as he let go of my hand in order to properly gorge himself on breakfast. Boys.

I ate my oatmeal in mostly silence as Sirius told Remus of our new relationship status.

"About damn time," said Remus as Sirius's thankfully short rendition of last night's events came to an end, but he smiled kindly at me, and I smiled back. Then I remembered.

"Remus!" I near shouted, practically spilling my pumpkin juice as I recalled his date from the night before and her odd past. Sirius and Remus looked at me quizzically, and even Peter looked up from his meal at my rather spontaneous outburst.

"Er…" I said, glancing around nervously. "How was _your_ date last night?"

Remus flushed, which was actually rather adorable, because he was simply so hard to fluster. "It was great," he said, ignoring Sirius's suggestive eyebrow-raising. "Jeanette is very nice. And very smart." He added, when I opened my mouth to press him for more details.

"Did you kiss her?" asked Sirius, leaning forward slightly, eyes narrowed, apparently thinking it was his turn to do the questioning. "Did you dance with her? Slow dance? Fast dance? Did you walk her to the Ravenclaw commonroom? Did you ask her out again? Trip to Hogsmeade? A stroll around the grounds?"

"Are you my mother?" asked Remus, looking amused.

I burst out laughing as Sirius sat back in a huff, arms crossed.

"Well, you know Moony, you don't do a lot of dating! I'm—"

"Being nosy."

"Adeline was the one to ask in the first place." grumbled Sirius, pouting, but he winked at me when I swatted his shoulder jokingly.

"Thanks Sirius." I said, laughing at the two Marauders' antics. "Very boyfriend-like of you, throwing me under the bus like that."

Just then, Lily and James joined us, Lily looking flushed and frustrated, while James just looked scared.

"Morning," muttered the red-haired girl, sitting down with an exasperated sigh and stabbing at the stack of waffles I'd already laid out on a plate for her with barely contained exasperation.

No one said anything as we watched Lily attack her food, quite literally. My gaze, along with Remus's, Sirius's, and Peter's, then went to James.

He was blushing to the tips of his ears, avoiding our confused looks.

"Well," said Sirius, glancing back and forth between the unhappy couple (that apparently, was not an actual couple yet). "This is weird."

"I agree." I said, finally catching the eye of James, who gave me a helpless look, glanced quickly at his beloved Lily, and trained his gaze again on his pumpkin juice. I sighed, then grabbed Lily's arm, pulling her off the bench and towards the doors of the Great Hall. "We obviously need a girl moment," I called to the marauders as I led my best friend away.

* * *

><p>"Okay, Lils." I said, once we'd reached the steps outside the great hall. "What's got your—?"<p>

"James," said Lily scathingly, looking rather terrifying. "That stupid, clueless, air-headed, unobservant…"

She was still listing adjectives as I led her over to the side of the huge entry hall and attempted to get a word in.

"…considerate, kind, wonderful…" she was now saying, her eyes filling with tears.

I was rather used to Lily's constantly changing attitude towards our bespectacled friend, and smoothed her hair soothingly as she wiped her eyes impatiently with the sleeve of her school robes.

"Oh Addy!" she said now, throwing her arms around me and sniffing loudly. "I'm afraid I've blown it with him forever. I can't believe it!"

"Lily, Lily…" I said, patting her back comfortingly. "I seriously doubt that. What happened?"

She told me, with much sniffling and woeful proclamations of regret.

The story was, apparently, that Lily had decided to take my advice to heart, and, ultimately, matters into her own hands.

But instead of calmly telling him how she felt, Lily had harnessed the hormonal teenage girl within, and more or less thrown herself at the poor boy in the middle of a deserted hallway.

"He was so freaked out." She muttered, transfiguring a leaf from a nearby plant into a handkerchief and blowing her nose loudly. "He told me that he wanted our first kiss to be special, and that we needed to talk again when I wasn't so _distraught_." She shuddered at the memory, then held up both hands (the handkerchief still tightly seized in her right), her face streaked with tears, and her nose the color of her hair. "I am _not_ distraught!"

I barely contained my laughter at my crazy friend and instead leaned my head against the wall behind us, trying to appear wise and all-knowing.

"James is a romantic, Lils. And, knowing him, he's probably played over the scene of you two having your first kiss and professing your undying love for each other about a million times in his head." I said, looking at her seriously. "And I doubt that you ambushing him in the middle of the hallway was what he had in mind."

"I know." said Lily mournfully, looking off in the distance with a forlorn expression. "But, well, I'm ready for this to happen! I can't wait around for the perfect moment my entire life!"

"Lily." I said, eyebrows raised. "You just decided that you didn't hate this boy a few months ago. You have to give him—and yourself—time."

She sniffed, but seemed to mull over my words in her head. Finally, she nodded.

"I suppose you have a point." She conceded, still looking slightly put out. "It's going to be so weird though! I mean, how am I going to look him in the eye ever again?"

"Oh I'm sure you'll find away." I said, just as two Slytherin girls walked by us on their way to breakfast, sending nasty looks at me as they passed.

"What is _their_ problem?" said Lily, rather loudly, her own tragedy momentarily forgotten after noticing their animosity towards me.

"I'm assuming all the intimidating glares I've been receiving from Hogwarts' female population is due to me and Sirius becoming… _official_." I told her, shrugging.

"Like they didn't see it coming!" muttered Lily, rolling her eyes.

"Very comforting."

"I'm just saying!" she said, throwing her hands up in defense. "Sirius has been following you around like a puppy dog for months! He's always carrying your books, watching you when you aren't looking, laughing at everything you say… Plus, he gets all kinds of jealous whenever a boy so much as looks at you—oh come on Addy, don't pull that face, guys can't take their eyes off you! You have that whole untouchablee, mysterious, Dark Magic royalty thing going for you. Plus your looks, I mean, really, it's a wonder any guy in our classes can concentrate—oh, anyway, Sirius has been head over heels for ages. Those silly girls should have been expecting this."

I blushed slightly at Lily's little speech, though I doubted that many guys paid attention to _me_. "Well, I don't know about all that. But, I mean, the looks some of these girls are giving me in the hallways… it's like they all have a personal vendetta against me or something!"

"They do." She said, nodding seriously. I raised my eyebrows at her, skeptical. "Oh come on, Adeline, practically every girl at this school wants to be with Sirius Black. He's smart, charming, handsome…"

"Yeah, he is," I said with a smile.

"Exactly. And well, he has a _bit_ of a reputation for being a _bit_ of a—"

"player," I interjected, wincing slightly.

"Well, I was actually going to say 'womanizer', but I suppose they are one in the same…"

I frowned. The Sirius I knew wasn't either of those things. He was sweet, and funny, and made me feel safe and special.

"…but," said Lily, taking my hands in hers and looking at me with the utmost sincerity. "I've known Sirius a long time, Addy, and ever since he met you, he has _completely_ changed. He's matured, he's happier, and…" she smiled widely at me. "he _definitely_ only has eyes for one girl."

I smiled back, hoping, and feeling, deep down in my heart of hearts, that this was the truth.

* * *

><p>Despite the fact that the most powerful dark wizard in the world wanted me dead, I felt incredibly happy and incredibly thankful for the way my life was turning out. I pondered this as Lily and I made our way back to the Great Hall, where I could hear the chattering and laughing of my fellow students as they sat and ate their morning meal.<p>

I was at _Hogwarts_, for one thing, a place I had dreamed of for so long, holed up in my parents' big, intimidating house. I was free of the untrue and evil ideas that my parents had forced upon me during my life, and I now knew what was really worth fighting for: Love. Family. Friendship. Happiness.

And as I took my spot between Sirius and Lily, I couldn't help but smile and feel like everything I had been through—and everything that was surely to come—was and would be very well worth these few moment of togetherness, surrounded by the people I had come to care so much about.

And so I laughed along with everyone else as Lily and James's hands bumped while reaching for the juice pitcher and they both turned beet red. I cheered as—after much prodding by his fellow marauders—Remus admitted that _yes_, he and Jeanette were going to go to Hogsmeade together this weekend. And I felt as though my heart would burst with contentment when Sirius's hand found mine under the table, and he leaned over, whispering in my ear.

"I just can't stop watching you smile."


	21. Mystery

**Author's ****Note**

Greetings, my fellow Harry Potter lovers! Good day! Anyway, here's chapter 21! It's pretty long, and kind of sets up what is about to happen with the next segment of our story! Hope you enjoy!

In other news, I think I mentioned this last chapter, but I have pictures up for the main characters of this story, and some other miscellaneous pictures. Do check it out!

Please review, as always! We've finally passed the 50 review mark, which is totally super amazingly exciting! Eek! Let's see now... can we make it to 100? :D

So yeah, I'm done rambling! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, it means the world!

Read, enjoy, review! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

* * *

><p><strong>21. Mystery <strong>

"It's not so much that I don't _want_ to be a healer," I mumbled, feeling my eyelids droop slightly from fatigue. Not to mention how cozy I was, sitting next to Lily (who had her nose deep in a book, completely oblivious to her surroundings) on the couch in front of the fire, Sirius's head on my lap as I played with his hair and occasionally tickled his nose with one of my quills (just to annoy him). An empty mug of cocoa, brought up to the common room by a few house elves who absolutely adored the marauders (apparently no one was immune to their charm), sat on the table beside me. "It's just that… I don't know. I can't picture myself doing anything other than being an auror."

"It's dangerous though," muttered Sirius, looking up at me with those big blue eyes that were now darkened with worry. "probably the most dangerous job at the ministry."

I frowned down at my boyfriend of just one week. "You want to be an auror as well, Sirius." I reminded him.

"Absolutely I do." he said, reaching up and stroking my cheek with his hand. "There's nothing I'd rather do than hunt down those bastards who are trying to hurt you."

"You don't think I'd like to do the same?" I asked, eyebrows raised. "I can hold my own. I'm not some defenseless little princess you know."

He chuckled at my rather severe expression and sat up suddenly, putting his arm around me and pulling me closer to him. "I know, Addy. I saw you duel Evans that first day of school. I haven't forgotten who I'm dealing with." I frowned at the memory of my duel with Lily in Defense Against the Dark Arts Class that fateful afternoon, as well as the fight with Sirius that had followed it.

"If I remember correctly…" I said, laying my head on his shoulder, still drowsy. "I almost hexed you into oblivion that day."

"Oh really?" he asked, grinning at me. "I thought you were just sunshine and rainbows." I rolled my eyes at him, but he just held me closer. "But really Addy, you have some of the top marks at Hogwarts, and I have no doubt that you _could_ hex me into oblivion if you wanted to." he sighed, then ran a hand through his hair, "It's just me being protective. I don't know what I'd do if something ever happened to you."

"Nothing's going to happen to me." I said firmly, praying that it was true. "I've still got my weekly lessons with Dumbledore, and I've been studying some advanced defensive spells on my own."

My sessions with Dumbledore had been helping me tremendously. We had done a significant amount of dueling practice, not to mention lots of work with nonverbal spells. And everything that I had learned with the headmaster, I was teaching, as best I could, to Sirius and Lily, who were then passing it on to the other marauders. I wanted to be able to protect myself, but I would never forgive myself if something happened to one of my friends because of me.

Just then, Remus and James walked in, having finished serving detention with Professor McGonagall for a prank on the Slytherin sixth-years. Sirius had been able to dodge the bullet because _he_ had been serving a detention during the time the prank was committed with Slughorn, having hexed some seventh-year who had, supposedly, called me "the hottest death-eater chick at Hogwarts."

Charming.

"Well," said James cheerfully, plopping himself down on the sofa between Lily and myself, arm wrapped ever so casually around Lily's shoulders. "Minnie sends her regards."

Lily finally looked up from her book, apparently startled to see James occupying the space next to her.

"Hi Lils," said James, smiling at her bashfully.

They were still in their awkward, not-quite-but-almost-a-couple phase, probably lengthened by Lily's impulsive kiss-attack from a week prior. But things, in my opinion, were progressing smoothly for the two. James, after recovering from last week's drama, had gone back to his traditional, flirtatious, affectionate courting method. Lily, to everyone's complete surprise and James's absolute joy, had finally completed the transition from being annoyed to the point of madness by every single thing the guy did, to being totally charmed, just as he had always hoped she would be.

"Hi yourself," she said back now, the book momentarily forgotten. "Pleasant time at detention?"

"Well, I must say, it was nothing compared to being here with you." he said, making her blush brilliantly.

Sirius rolled his eyes at this display of affection between our two best friends, and then said loudly to me, "Can't they just snog already and—"

"Shh!" I said, swatting him on the shoulder playfully. "That was us for about three months and they didn't complain!"

Sirius kept grumbling, but I ignored him, instead trying to turn the attention on to a safer subject. "Remus!" I said, noticing the blonde marauder sitting in one of the big leather chairs nearby, flipping interestedly through Lily's book. He looked up, eyebrows raised, when I said his name.

"How's Jeanette?" I asked, truly interested.

I felt like I had a bit of a connection to this girl that, up until a few days ago, I hadn't even known existed. But, after all, both our parents had been death eaters, and had known each other very well.

That being said, it sounded as though her parents had been different than my own. They had apparently put her into a foster home immediately, keeping her safely out of reach from the Dark Lord and his subjects. In the end, she had next to nothing to do with the life that my family and her parents lived.

I truly envied her.

But for whatever reason, I hesitated to tell anyone what I knew about Jeanette's parentage. It's not that I didn't trust Sirius or Remus or Lily to keep a secret, but I found myself keeping the information to myself. Was there really a need to say anything? It didn't seem like it, and the last thing I wanted to do was burden Jeanette with the truth that her parents had been servants of the Dark Lords, and were currently wasting away in Azkaban.

If it was me, I would want to live in complete, ignorant bliss, never knowing anything.

"She's good," said Remus now, smiling shyly. "We just ran into her actually, when we were coming back from Professor McGonagall's office. I think she and I are going to spend the day together next Saturday."

"Good job, Moony!" said Sirius, now stretching out again to lay his head back on my lap, lifting my left hand and placing it on top of his head so I could resume playing with his hair. "Still not a couple yet, though, are you?"

I rolled my eyes at Sirius as Remus answered, looking rather red. "No, it's casual right now. Just dating, getting to know each other."

"Huh, well I'm really happy for you Remus." I said, yawning for what seemed like the millionth time in the past ten minutes. My bed was calling me. "Lils," I said now, turning to my best friend, who was still wrapped up in deep, flirtatious conversation with a certain brown-haired, bespectacled boy. She seemed to almost break out of a trance when she heard her name, and glanced over at me, looking slightly annoyed. "Ready to go up?"

Sirius and James both looked rather put out as Lily, after a brief internal debate where she glanced between James and the staircase leading up to the girls dormitories multiple times, nodded, and stood.

"Night everybody," she said, then as an afterthought, "And goodnight, James."

James beamed as Sirius stood up, smiling down at me. "Goodnight, my dear," he said, kissing me softly.

"Night, Sirius," I said, hugging him tight, "Sweet dreams."

He winked at me, bending down slightly to whisper in my ear. "They'll be about you."

I blushed, looking around to make sure that no one else had heard. They all looked innocent enough, so I kissed Sirius one last time, removed myself from his embrace, and followed Lily up the stairs, smiling softly to myself as I went.

* * *

><p>I collapsed onto my bed immediately, reveling in the softness of the bed sheets, and vowed to never stay up past midnight again. I was exhausted.<p>

"Oh, Adeline," said Lily in her most maternal voice, pulling on my arm until I was in a sitting position, and then placing her hands on her hips authoritatively. "You can't go to bed in your school robes. Run and change."

I grumbled all the way to the bathroom door, cursing Lily for being so unbearably motherly. I was hardly able to keep my eyes open as I trudged through the doorway to the bathroom and fumbled with the light switch.

The sight that greeted my tired eyes was enough to get me feeling wide awake. My breath caught in my throat as I took in the scene in front of me.

The dark mark had been drawn largely, black and ominous, on the white tile wall of the bathroom. Under it were the words "we are watching".

I didn't scream. I didn't move a muscle. I just stood there, staring at the mark, this sign of evil that seemed to be haunting me like a vengeful ghost.

I can't say how long it was before Lily was suddenly behind me, probably wondering what was taking me so long when before I had been so eager for my bed and sleep.

"Oh," she said, sounding a little shaky as she took in the graffiti'd wall, and my reaction. Or lack thereof.

Finally I took my wand out from the pocket of my school robe and wordlessly removed the paint from the tiles. It came off easily, and I knew that whoever had done the act had not used magic.

"You didn't…" said Lily, now leaning against the sink, arms crossed and brow furrowed, "You didn't maybe want to… show Dumbledore? Or Sirius?"

"No," I said, no longer tired but somewhat disturbed, running a hand through my hair and surveying the now blank wall with concern. "they'll just worry, Sirius especially."

"You don't think you should report this? It's a dirty trick for someone to play, that's for sure."

"I don't think it was a trick," I said seriously. I went on when Lily opened her mouth to disagree. "Lily, who would know? Half the school already thinks I'm a death eater anyway. You and the marauders are the only people who know that the death eaters are actually after me. And the boys might be pranksters, but they would never pull something like this."

She thought about this for a second, and then nodded. "I suppose so. But who was it, then? It must have been a student. A death eater wouldn't be able to penetrate the school from the outside."

"I haven't the slightest idea," I said with a sigh. The exhaustion was returning, but for some reason, I wasn't as upset by this as I probably should have been. "But, it's hardly a secret that some of the Slytherin sixth years are death eaters, or soon to be. It could have been one of them." I wanted to bite my tongue as soon as the words were out of my mouth. One look at Lily was enough to know that I'd hit a sore spot.

"Sev." Lily mumbled, then sighed. "But I don't think he'd do something like this. He knows we're friends."

"Maybe. There's others, anyway. All those boys Snape hangs out with."

Lily seemed about to agree with me when a thought struck her. She looked at me, frowning, "It had to have been a girl, though." she said, brows furrowed. "To get up the staircase."

"Or someone who could break the enchantment." I said, shrugging.

"Perhaps," said Lily, but I could tell that she was thinking hard, probably already compiling a list of suspects in her head. After a moment she looked at me closely, concern gracing her features. "You okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," I said, looking her in the eye. It was true. I didn't know why, but after the initial shock, I found that I was only slightly alarmed by the incident. It wasn't news to me, anyway. Of course they were watching.

And there was simply nothing I could do about it. There was no way I was leaving Hogwarts, and the only option I had was to work hard, so that hopefully I would be ready to face my enemies when the time came, and survive the encounter.


	22. Distractions

**Author's Note**

Hi readers! So it's been twenty days since my last update, and I'm SUPER sorry about that! Please don't hate me!

Life has gotten in the way as usual, but, hey, look, here's a new chapter for your enjoyment!

I appreciate immensely, as always, all the wonderful and inspiring reviews! It means the world to me. Thank you!

Alright, read, enjoy, review!

Disclaimer: I don't own HP!

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><p><strong>22. Distractions<strong>

"Addy? Hello? Adeline?"

Sirius's voice broke through my thoughts like a bolt of lightning in a thunderstorm. I started, turning to look at him, concern flooding his features.

"You okay, honey?" he asked, wrapping one strong arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer to him on the long bench that lined one side of the Gryffindor table. "You've seemed so distant today."

We were at dinner, a day after I had walked into Lily and I's bathroom to find the dark mark painted on the white tiled wall. Sirius was right, I _was _distant. But every time I had a moment to myself, somehow my thoughts would drift to that painted warning and the words below it.

_We are watching_.

"I'm fine," I said now, leaning into Sirius's embrace just the slightest bit. He didn't look particularly convinced, but nodded anyway, then put some more mashed potatoes on my plate. "Well, maybe you should eat a bit more food. You look a bit pale."

"Paler than usual," added James, now nodding at us, "and that's really saying something."

I had almost forgotten we weren't alone, I had been so lost in my thoughts. Looking up, though, I noticed that all the Marauders, plus Lily, were watching me with a degree of concern. Even Peter had glanced up from his plate of food to look at me curiously.

I didn't feel like eating. It wasn't as though the dark mark had been any great shock to me, but it was the slightest bit disconcerting. It made everything seem more… real. Like, someone out there knew who I was, where I was, and was reporting my every move to Lord Voldemort. I felt like a lion in an exhibit at the zoo: being watched, analyzed, and held captive.

Sirius sighed, staring at me as I once again got a bit lost in my thoughts. "Addy?" he said, brows furrowed. "Please tell me you're going to eat something."

"Probably not," I admitted apologetically. I hated to make Sirius worried, but this was nothing compared to how freaked out he would be if I told him what was going on.

He sighed, then stood, pulling me up gently with him. "Well…" he said, his hand making its way to my waist. "Then I think you could do with a pleasant distraction."

I liked the sound of that. I also liked the feeling of Sirius's arm around my waist as he guided me gently out of the great hall. I caught the eye of a few people, mostly girls with jealous glares on their faces, who were watching us as we departed from dinner. However, this didn't bother me in the slightest. With every step I took, Sirius at my side, I felt my worries floating away.

I felt warm and safe with Sirius's arm around me, smiling happily to myself as he brought me through the halls, making a quick stop at the kitchens for hot cocoa before we set foot out of the castle and onto the school grounds.

It was a very pleasant night, with the moon bright and full and a dazzling number of stars peppering the dark sky. Sirius led me, frothy drinks in hand, to a nice bench that overlooked the beautiful landscape.

"Much better," said Sirius as we got settled, me conjuring up a little fire in front of us to keep us warm and comfy. "Although I really wish you had eaten more of your dinner. You need to keep healthy, Addy."

I rolled my eyes at the very serious and maternal look on my boyfriend's face. "You sound my mother. Before she told me to turn myself in to the Dark Lord, of course."

I meant it as a joke. But Sirius frowned, placing his cocoa on the bench and reaching up to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. I set my own drink down and leaned into his touch, moving slightly closer to him on the bench, reveling in the warmth and comfort he offered.

"Adeline," he sighed, wrapping his arm around me and kissing my hair. "You don't need to worry about that. I am not going to let _anything_ happen to you. I swear it."

"Don't swear about things like that." I muttered, looking off into the distance. "Please."

"No." he said firmly, full of determination, his fiery gaze trained on the landscape stretching before us. "I will. I don't care what I have to do to keep you safe. I'd do it. In a heartbeat. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I am going to protect you until my final breath."

The weight of his words hung in the air for a second. I lifted my head to look at him: his strong jaw, that beautiful dark hair, hanging across his forehead, dangerously close to falling into those big, blue-grey eyes. Then there was his long straight nose, those thick, dark lashes that would look feminine on any other guy but him, and that smooth, tan skin that I wanted to spend all day touching.

It was a handsome face that made every girl in Hogwarts swoon. But I hardly noticed these things, not then. What I noticed was what so many people seemed to ignore, gloss-over. I saw _Sirius_, strong, brave, full of love and courage and goodness. I saw past the flirt and the prankster and straight into his caring, amazing soul.

I reached up, tracing my finger ever so lightly along his jaw-line. He shivered, and I did too. It was eerie, almost, how connected I felt to him at that moment.

"Thank you." I whispered, looking straight into his eyes when his gaze met mine. Was it the best thing I could have said at that moment? Probably not. But I couldn't think of a response that felt more right. I wanted him to know just how much I appreciated _everything_. His determination to protect me, his unwavering support without which I would probably have crumbled into nothingness a long time ago, the love and comfort he had so selflessly provided. "Thank you so much."

He nodded, a smile slowly gracing his features as the moment slowly passed. Within moments we were just two teenagers, on a bench, drinking hot cocoa, in love.

"Any time." He said, winking at me, that heart-breaking smile causing the butterflies in my stomach to start up full force.

I laughed, scooting even closer, grinning when his arm tightened around my shoulders. "So…" I said, nervous and giddy, whereas seconds before I had been solemn and serious. "What was all this about a distraction?"

This was the first time Sirius and I had really been alone together since we had kissed on the astronomy tower during the Spring-time ball. And while it had been a blissful week, we had been constantly surrounded by Lily, the Marauders, and the rest of the student body. The tension, though pleasant in its own way, had been growing for days. _Now, though,_ I thought with a very speedily beating heart, _there's no one around to bother us…_

Sirius seemed to sense this too, because his smile grew even wider and he leaned forward slightly, his forehead nearly touching mine. "Could it be?" he asked, his voice disbelieving, "some _privacy_?"

I laughed, feeling completely and utterly happy. I was glad that things weren't always heavy and solemn with me and Sirius. I wanted to feel like a regular, love-struck, silly teenage girl every once in a while. "Let's just pray that Lily and James don't come popping out from behind a tree again."

We laughed together, our lips only inches apart. The tension was stronger than ever and I could sense that electrifying feeling in the air again, potent and unmistakable. Sirius seemed to feel it too, as our laughter faded away and his eyes fell on my lips.

We had kissed in the past week, of course. But just light little pecks good morning and good night, always in the presence of others who were sure to either tease us about it (the marauders) or send us death glares (Ravenclaw girls).

This was different. We were alone, no interruptions, and the chemistry between us was so suddenly so strong I could have sworn it was a tangible thing.

For a second all was still, as we faced each other on the bench, our foreheads touching lightly, our breath mingling together. I wanted so badly to kiss him that this brief moment seemed torturous, never-ending, yet perfect at the same time.

Then his soft, incredible lips were on mine, and his hands were on my back, cradling me against him in the most gentle, tender way. My eyes closed immediately, and I got lost in the feeling of him, his hands holding me, his lips sweeping me away and keeping me anchored all at once. Our tongues met together in perfect synchrony, gentle and tender, but with a certain fire that made my heart beat fast and my breathing speed up.

It was a long time before we broke apart, both of us breathing heavily. But his lips never left me, instead kissing the corner of my lips, then making their way across my cheek and down my jaw. When they reached my throat, I gasped in spite of myself, and felt him smile against my skin.

He brought his eyes level with mine, and I could see all my emotions reflected back at me in those beautiful pools of silvery-blue. Adoration. Love. Happiness. Lust.

He leaned forward, and I felt his warm breath on my ear as he whispered, "you're blushing, honey."

I rolled my eyes at him, and probably blushed even more. "I—" I started, then stopped. "You—"

He just laughed, which after a moment made me laugh. We both leaned back against the bench, and I felt the electricity in the air die down to a pleasing buzz. Finally I gathered my thoughts. "You're a very pleasant distraction."

He grinned like a little kid, then wrapped his arm around me, leaning his head against mine. "Why the _hell_ did we go all week without doing that?"

I rolled my eyes. "We've always had an audience," I said, looking up at him. "Hogwarts. Not exactly the best place for romance."

"It's been torture this past week," he mumbled, kissing my cheek. "It really has."

I blushed, and looked down at my hands resting on my lap, feeling kind of proud that _I_ was the one Sirius wanted. How had that ever happened?

"Well," I said, smiling as Sirius's hand suddenly wrapped around both of mine, and he threaded his fingers through my left one. "_I _personally didn't think it was so bad."

The look on his face was priceless. I couldn't keep a straight face though, and his look of anguish turned into one of confusion as I burst out laughing.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and turned to face him again, bringing my lips within an inch of his. "Joking, Sirius." I said, grinning up at him. "Only joking. I've been dying to kiss you all week. Well, really I've been dying to kiss you for months but—"

He cut me off with a kiss so enthusiastic that I was pushed back slightly against the weather-stained wood of the bench. "That was mean," he mumbled between kisses, but I could feel him smiling against my lips.

I just laughed, and sighed happily when we finally broke apart as the bells, signaling that students needed to return to their dormitories, sounded from within the castle.

"Damn," muttered Sirius, frowning at the castle. "I hate interruptions."

"At least it wasn't Lily or James this time," I said, grabbing his hand and standing up. "Come on,"

We made our way back to Hogwarts tower hand in hand, laughing and joking and smiling. My worries were blissfully forgotten, at least for the moment. All that mattered was that I was with Sirius.


	23. Loyalties

****Hi there readers!

So after a long break, I'm back to writing again! Here's chapter 23, hope you like it :)

Also, I'm planning on rewriting some of this story, to flesh everything out and hopefully develop the characters a bit. I'll let you guys know about any major additions! The overall plot will be staying the same.

Read, enjoy, review :)

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><p><strong>23. Loyalties<strong>

My thoughts were still on my nighttime stroll with Sirius the next day.

I was walking happily alongside said boyfriend to lunch when I felt Lily's thin, strong fingers tightly grip my elbow, and, bewildered, I was suddenly yanked into a nearby empty hallway.

"Go on," Lily was saying to Sirius, who was standing outside the Great Hall, looking skeptically at Lily, his hand still slightly stretched out to his side where it had—until very recently—been connected to mine. "I um… I'm on my period. Hormonal. Girl stuff. Need to talk to Adeline."

Sirius's eyes widened slightly. "Oh," he said, his eyes flickering towards my face. I rolled my eyes, silently telling him to go along. "Alright," he said, hands in his pockets now, rocking back on his heels, his cheeks slightly red. "I'll just go then."

A moment later I turned back to Lily, the both of us now alone, frowning. "Seriously, Lils?"

She rolled her eyes right back at me. "You know we need to figure out who wrote on our walls. Ignoring this problem is not going to make it go away."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. That was all I wanted though. To just be able to live my life, happily, and not deal with murder threats and death eaters and everything in-between.

But Lily had a point, as much as I hated to admit it. The fact was that my last name wasn't changing, and neither was my predicament.

"Alright," I said finally, glancing around to make sure we weren't being overheard. But everyone was eating in the Great Hall now, and we were quite alone. "But what should we do?"

"I really think you need to tell Dumbledore." Lily said immediately. "As well as Sirius."

"No." I said immediately. Telling Dumbledore would change nothing. I was already training as hard as I could, and I knew that the wise headmaster had much more pressing things to deal with.

And I simply cared about Sirius way too much to worry him. But that wasn't all… part of me was concerned about what might happen if Sirius found out. In the past few weeks, I was just starting to realize how fiercely protective of me Sirius actually was. If he found out someone was threatening me at Hogwarts… He could get the idea in his head to seek revenge against the Slytherins who were most likely responsible. I dreaded the thought that he could get expelled, or worse, hurt.

Lily seemed about to disagree, but then she sighed, probably seeing the resolve in my eyes. "Alright," she said. "then I think we need to talk to Sev."

I was about to agree with this. As much as I didn't like putting Lily through the stress of talking to her childhood-friend-turned-enemy, it wasn't like we had any leads. And Severus had been begging for Lily's forgiveness for months. It seemed logical, if anything.

But then an idea popped into my head. "You talk to Snape," I said, nodding slowly. "I know someone else who might have information."

Lily looked at me, her face clouded with concern. "Adeline…" she said, frowning. "we have to be careful about this."

"I know." I said, turning towards the Great Hall, already hatching a plan in my mind. "I will be."

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><p>I sat in the Great Hall that night during dinner, with no appetite. The last Quiditch match of the year, Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor, was now less than two days away. Lily had left a few minutes earlier, telling the boys she was headed for the library to catch up on some studying. A statement no one questioned, although I knew that she was really about to corner Severus and demand some answers.<p>

So now I sat silently beside Sirius, who was chatting animatedly with James about strategies for the upcoming match.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I caught the eye of Regulus Black.

He was sitting in the middle of the Slytherin table, surrounded by his housemates, clearly the leader of their little group, judging by the way he seemed to be the center of attention, the one with all the admirers.

I breathed a sigh of relief when he gave a minute nod, an indication that he'd received the message I'd sent him earlier in the day and was willing to talk to me.

A split second later we both broke eye contact, and he went back to talking with the other Slytherins.

I stood. "I think I'll go up for the night," I said, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear as I climbed off of the bench. "Read in the common room or something. I'm a bit tired."

Sirius looked up from his intense conversation with James, a frown on his face. "Are you sure, honey?"

"Yeah," I said, kissing his cheek. "See you in a bit."

I walked quickly out of the hall, not even glancing over at the Slytherin table, praying that Regulus would follow me. Despite my confidence, I really had no idea whether or not he would help me. But I had a feeling that maybe, just maybe…

I walked out of the Great Hall and leaned against a nearby wall, arms crossed. The cold stone behind me felt good, and I took a deep breath. Better.

Just then, the big door opened again, and Regulus stepped out. I looked up, seeing him up close for the first time in over five years.

He was tall—not quite as tall as Sirius, but still, 6 feet at least—and had broad shoulders. His face was handsome, like his brother's. But his eyes were dark, not sparkling with laughter and happiness like the Black I knew so well. He looked a little sadder, a little more world-weary.

His hair was curlier than Sirius's, and lighter, more russet colored. He ran one long-fingered hand through it as he faced me, looking at me questioningly.

I didn't say anything, instead walking over to the unused corridor Lily and I had spoken in earlier that day. After glancing around to make sure we were alone, I turned, leaning against the wall, and faced the younger Black.

"I never got to thank you for sending word to Sirius over the winter holidays…" I started, glancing up cautiously. "you saved my life. Thank you."

He just looked at me for a second. A little sadly, a little guardedly. He really did look _so_ much like Sirius. It was a striking resemblance, even for brothers.

Finally he nodded, leaning against the opposite wall, his arms folded across his broad chest. "You're welcome," he replied, his voice deep and a little dead-pan. Nothing like Sirius's.

I decided to delve a little deeper. I took a steadying breath and looked him straight in the eye. "Why'd you do it?"

The silence hung between us for a long time. Regulus blinked a few times, then looked at the ground, as if he was choosing his words carefully. After a minute or two, he glanced back up at me. His eyes had lost that guarded look, and now he watched me with a curious expression. Sad, scared, angry, but not unkind. I didn't look away as he spoke.

"The same reason I'm talking to you now." He said, shrugging. "You, Sirius, and I played together as kids. I liked you. You were sweet." He paused, biting his lip slightly. It was such a boyish thing to do, and it immediately struck me that he was only sixteen. A death eater at sixteen. "And…" he ran another hand through his hair. "I knew you were with my brother. I knew you were…" he swallowed, "on his side." A pause. "What I think, is that everyone should get to choose their own side in this war. Everyone needs a choice."

He said this almost bitterly. When he glanced up and we locked eyes, his gaze went from angry to resigned in a matter of seconds. There was a pause before he said. "Anyway, Jeanette Lowry drew the mark. I know that's the main reason you're talking to me."

It took me a moment to process that. _Jeanette_? Despite what I knew about her heritage, she was still the last person I had been expecting. I felt my heart sink and my temper rise. "Why the hell would—?" I started to say, my voice growing in volume.

He cut me off quickly, glancing around to make sure no one had heard my outburst. "The dark lord knows she exists. He always knew, apparently. He wants to see if she's useful. She's an extremely capable witch. Almost as good as you and Evans. She could make a good addition to his ranks, but he wants to find out if she can do what she's told." They way he said it, a slight grimace on his face, made me think the words probably weren't his.

"So you're intimidating her into doing the Dark Lord's bidding? Testing her out?" I said, shaking my head. "That's sick."

His shoulders rose, a bit defensively, and he opened his mouth as if he was about to support his lord's orders. But then he sighed, glancing down at the ground. "I know," he said softly.

We were both silent for a long time. I watched Regulus, as he leaned against the opposite wall, eyes closed, a resigned look on his face. Finally, he pushed himself off the wall. "I've got to go. I've betrayed my side enough already. I just thought… I don't know. It doesn't matter. Bye Addy."

The use of that nickname from my childhood struck a chord within me. I reached out, grabbing his arm, wanting to thank him for helping me, for saving my life, for everything. He stopped, turning to me. "Regulus," I said sincerely. "Thank you. I… I think if we _had_ been on the same side, we would have been friends."

He looked at me, sadly. Again, his resemblance to Sirius was uncanny. "I think so too." he said.

That was when I heard the footsteps.

"Addy, there you are! You forgot your—"

I cringed, releasing Regulus's arm and turning to face Sirius, my old black leather messenger bag in one of his hands, standing frozen at the end of the corridor.

"—bag." he finished, his eyes flickering between me, my hand, and his brother. "What the hell is going on?"

Regulus sighed, glanced at me one final time, and left, walking past Sirius without a word.

"Hey," I said, walking forward and taking my bag out of his hands, silently cursing myself for being so indescribably stupid. Sirius had probably noticed that I had left to _read_ in the common room without bringing any of my books along. I'm an idiot. And he's just a terribly caring person, whom I tried to lie to.

"Hi," he said, his voice a little hollow. He was looking down at me, his eyes confused and uncertain and maybe even a bit hurt. "Why were you in a deserted corridor with my brother?"

I sighed. Time to explain. Obviously, I lacked the ability and the willpower and the desire to lie to Sirius any longer.

"It's a long story." I told him, running a hand through my hair. "Come on."


	24. Desperation

**Author's Note**

Hello all!

Here is Chapter 24! Hope you like it, and stay tuned. The next chapter will probably be out sometime within the week.

Toodles!

Read, enjoy, review :)

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><p><strong>24. Desperation<strong>

Twenty minutes later, I had explained everything. Our vandalized bathroom, Jeanette's parents, and finally, my talk with Regulus. Sirius had taken things surprisingly well, I thought. There had been a moment there, when I had first described the dark mark, that his eyes had flashed with anger, his fists had clenched tightly, and he'd looked as if he was about to walk right down to the Slytherin common room and knock some heads. But I had quickly convinced him to listen to the rest of my story, and he had steadily relaxed, although the tension in his shoulders hadn't quite faded.

Now, Sirius leaned back against the wall of his dormitory, where we were sitting on the floor, the rest of the marauders and Lily having not yet joined us. I leaned back too, and after a moment he pulled me close, wrapping an arm around me, tightly, his face unreadable.

"Sirius?" I asked, reaching one hand up to touch his cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Adeline," he sighed. "Please, please promise me you'll never keep something like that from me again."

I sighed too, leaning my head against his shoulder, breathing in the smell of him. It was lovely. "I didn't want you to worry." I whispered. "I didn't think I should—"

"Promise me." He said again, pulling back slightly to look me in the eye, his gaze intense. "Adeline, you _have _to let me know what's going on. There's _nothing_ more important to me than you're safety."

"Okay," I said, exhaling. "I promise."

I felt like a load had been lifted off of my shoulders the second I said those words. My whole life I had kept everything to myself. I had been taught to listen, never speak, never divulge, and never confide in others.

But now, looking into Sirius's gray-blue eyes and seeing the amount of determination and care that dwelt there, I knew that I _finally_ had someone with whom I could always share. Always confide in. It felt amazing.

Sirius sighed in relief, and then pulled me in for what felt like a bone-crushing hug. "Nothing is more important to me than _you_, Addy." he whispered, his lips near my ear, tickling slightly. "I mean that."

I smiled, and was about to respond when the remaining three marauders burst through the door, and, as I saw with a sinking heart, they were accompanied by a shaken-looking Lily, her face pale and eyes wide, being supported by Remus and James.

"Christ," Sirius muttered as we both rose immediately, helping Lily sit down on James's bed while Peter brought her a glass of water from the bathroom. "She looks like she needs to go to the hospital wing."

"No," said Remus and Lily in unison. Sirius and I exchanged looks as Lily then proceeded to sip the water, taking a deep breath as James sat down on the bed beside her, rubbing her back soothingly.

Sirius sat down on his own bed, running a hand through his hair and looking at Lily with a concerned and confused look on his face. I considered sitting beside my best friend, to make sure she was all right, but the color was beginning to return to her cheeks, and as I sat down next to Sirius on his bed, I watched her lean into James, looking up at him appreciatively. Evidently she was in good hands.

"Okay then," said Sirius, glancing around, as Remus sat down on the edge of his bed, looking haggard, and Peter collapsed onto a chair in the corner. "What the hell happened to Evans?"

James and Remus exchanged looks, but it was Lily who answered.

"Jeanette Lowry just attacked me."

"I'd just finished talking to Sev," Lily began, her eyes trained on the cup she still held firmly in her hand. "I filled them in already," she added, glancing at me and Sirius, then nodding over to James, Remus, and Peter. "Anyway, he told me what you probably already found out. That Jeanette is being bullied into terrorizing you." She paused for a moment, glancing apologetically at me. "Us."

I nodded once, Sirius's arm tightened around me. "Go on," I told my best friend.

"So, I was walking down one of the back hallways that I patrol during prefect duty sometimes. And all of the sudden, Jeanette stepped out of the shadows, near tears." Lily sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "She had her wand drawn, her hand was shaking…"

_"Jeanette?" I asked. She looked terrified, but… determined. "Are you okay?"_

_ Knowing what I now knew about her, my heart went out even more to the blonde girl with the startling eyes. I could only imagine her predicament. Being threatened and bullied by teenage death eaters, maybe not even knowing why you'd been singled out. It had to be terrible._

_ "L-Lily," she said, now really close to tears. "I'm sorry."_

_ "What?" I said, shocked. "Jeanette, what are you doing? Did Regulus and his friends tell you to do this?"_

_ "I have to fight you!" she said, tears streaming down her face. "If I don't—If—If—"_

_ "Jeanette," I said, approaching the hysterical girl, my hands outstretched in a non-aggressive stance. "Let me help you. I know that the Slytherins are bullying you. I know they've singled you out. But, I can help. Me, and Adeline, and Remus, and our friends, we can help you—"_

_ "You don't understand!" she hissed, the determination in her eyes flaring up again. She was slighter than me, at least three inches shorter, yet the fear and resolve in her eyes was still frightening. Not to mention the fact that her wand was pointed straight at my throat. "Lily," she said, softly now, and for a moment, I thought maybe she had changed her mind. But her next words made my heart sink. "They'll kill my parents…" she glanced down at her feet, before bringing those astonishing eyes back up to mine. "My adopted parents."_

_ "Jeanette," I said softly. "Tell Dumbledore. He can help you. He can protect—"_

_ "No!" she whispered, but her words still cut me off as though she'd shouted. "He can't." The agony in her voice was heart-breaking. "I'm sorry, Lily."_

_ I reached for my wand and threw myself against the wall just as she sent a jinx in my direction. Within seconds I'd sent one back her way. For almost ten minutes, we dueled in the deserted corridor. She was excellent, but just when I thought I had an opening, I found myself hesitating. I could win the duel, stun her or at least disarm her. But then what? I couldn't leave her, and I couldn't take away her wand. And there was no way I was going to Dumbledore. Jeanette was innocent, it was those filthy death-eaters in Slytherin that were really responsible. And if the threat against Jeanette's adopted parents was real… I shuddered to think._

_ And so I stopped, thinking that she could stun me and leave me in the corridor. Someone would find me eventually, and I could claim that I had no memory of my attacker._

_ And so I didn't take the opening, instead leaving myself defenseless, waiting for her to cast her final spell._

_ The jolt of fear raced through me only when I caught sight of the look in her eyes. Pure desperation. It reminded me of the way Sirius had looked when we had first received word that Adeline was about to become a death eater. The look that meant you would do anything to protect the people you loved._

_ And so my heart sank once more as Jeanette casted her spell and it wasn't meant to disarm me or paralyze me. "Sectumsempra!"_

_ I felt a searing pain erupt all over my body, and could feel blood begin to trickle out of slashes that had suddenly appeared on my arms and torso. I screamed, falling to my knees. I looked up at Jeanette, who was watching me, looking terrified, as pale as a ghost._

_ A moment later, she was on her knees in front of me, where I had collapsed to the ground, the searing pain almost causing me to pass out._

_ She was sobbing heavily, but I could hear her murmuring something, a counter-curse that was almost song-like, her wand pointed at the bleeding wounds._

_ Slowly the pain started to ebb, the wounds healing, the blood returning to my body, the pain leaving steadily. Finally Jeanette finished, tears streaming down her face, stumbling backwards. "I—I—I—" she stuttered, her hands in her hair, pulling, her eyes wide as she stared at me. I had pulled myself up, shaken but otherwise alright, and was leaning against the wall. "Bloody hell," I muttered._

_ She just watched me for a minute, her eyes wide and wild. With a last sob, she turned and ran, her footsteps steadily fading. I closed my eyes, slumping against the cool stone of the castle. But soon I heard other footsteps, three sets of them. Fast and getting louder and louder. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, knowing I couldn't take on any other attackers._

_ I'd never been so happy to hear James's voice. "Lily? Lily! Are you okay?!"_

Lily finished telling her story, and we all sat for a moment in stunned silence. James kissed Lily's forehead, brushing her fiery hair back soothingly. I looked over at Remus. His face was drawn, his eyes weary. I knew he cared about Jeanette, and I could only imagine how hard this all was for him.

It was he who finally spoke. "It's getting late, and I think we all—Lily especially—need to rest. We need to talk to Jeanette, and we are going to have to do something about these Slytherins." He sighed. "But right now, we need to sleep."

One by one, we all nodded our agreement. Even James, who looked especially grim, his arm wrapped tightly around Lily and his jaw tight. I stood, ready to help Lily up so we could head back to our dormitory, when Sirius's hand on my arm stopped me.

"No. You both should sleep in here tonight. It's not safe for you two to be in your dormitory alone." He said, his eyes telling me he was completely serious.

James quickly agreed. "Lily, Sirius is right. You two can sleep in our beds. We'll take the floor."

While part of me wanted to protest, the fact was that I was too physically and mentally exhausted to put up much of a fight. Which is how I found myself, twenty minutes later, in one of Sirius's old Chudley Cannon's t-shirts and a pair of long pajama-pants, under the covers of Sirius's bed while Sirius himself kissed me goodnight and then proceeded to turn off the lights and climb into his own make-shift bed on the ground, all the rest of the marauders and Lily already in their respective spaces.

I laid there, breathing deeply the smell of Sirius, which was clean and kind of grassy and sweet at the same time. Listening hard, I could hear Peter and James's snores, and Lily and Remus's soft breathing. I couldn't sleep though. The stress of the day had shaken me out of the safe, protected little bubble that I had been living in for the last day or so, and reminded me that everything was real. And terrifying.

I needed Sirius.

I sat up, pulling the curtains back slightly from the bed and peering over the side. Sure enough, Sirius was lying with his hands behind his head, his bright eyes shining in the moonlight that was filtering in from the nearby window and trained directly on me.

"Hi," I whispered in the dark.

"Hi," he whispered back. The air around us tingled.

Finally I sighed, and let out a slightly nervous laugh. "Get up here."

He didn't need to be told twice, promptly getting up from the floor and climbing onto the bed beside me, casting a silencing spell around the perimeter of the bed. I held the covers up for him and he slid under them, pulling me down with him so our legs were tangled together beneath the blankets, my head on his shoulder, my arms wrapped around his wide chest. He kissed my temple as I shifted, snuggling up even closer to him. It was the most comfortable I had been in a very long time.

"Can't sleep?" he asked, looking at me through the darkness.

"Partially. I also feel a million times better when I'm close to you." I admitted, blushing slightly, even though there was no one to see it. I looked up at him through my lashes and saw him smile, his brilliantly white teeth visible even through the dimness.

"That makes me feel rather wonderful." He said. There was silence for a moment, and I could tell he was trying to decide whether or not he should tell me something. Finally the words left his mouth, albeit hesitantly. "There was a terrible moment there, when I saw you with your hand on Regulus's arm in the corridor there, that I thought you were cheating on me with my brother. And it was one of the worst moments of my life."

His words hung in the air for a moment. While a small part of me was upset that he had jumped to that conclusion, I was glad he had told me, and I could see why he had thought that.

"I would never, _could never_, cheat on you." I said quietly. I turned so I was facing him, supporting myself with my elbows. I felt his arm immediately wrap around my back, rubbing small circles there. An affectionate gesture. I smiled, despite the tumultuousness of the day and the constant strain of the current situation. I was happy. Even if all hell was breaking loose around us, Sirius and I still had each other. It was more than enough to be happy about.

"I could never cheat on you either." He told me, his eyes intense and never leaving mine. "The very thought is just…" he shook his head, lost for words.

Words weren't needed anyway. I leaned down slowly, closing the gap between us, tasting the minty flavor of spearmint toothpaste on his lips.

The thought crossed my mind that I needed him closer at the very same moment that he turned us over, pressing me against the bed, our kiss deepening slightly. My hands knotted in his dark hair as he traced those same small circles on my hips where his hands were resting.

We broke apart, both of us breathing hard. He rested his forehead against mine, looking down at me with those gorgeous eyes. And then he was kissing my forehead, my cheek, my jaw, and my neck. He got down to the spot where my neck meets my shoulder, leaving an open-mouthed kiss there that made me gasp. I felt him smile against my skin, then his lips returned to my mouth, picking up right where we had left off.

It was Sirius who finally broke the kiss, quite a while later, stretching up to press his lips to my forehead, gently, sweetly, and then laying down beside me. I sighed contentedly, still breathing hard, and laid my head on his shoulder, snuggling close.

There was a few minutes of silence before he turned his head slightly and spoke. "Night, love. Sleep well, yeah?" he whispered into my hair.

"I will. Good night." I muttered into his shoulder, already well on my way to peaceful dreams.


	25. Sorry

**Author's Note**

Hello lovely readers!

This chapter is out earlier than expected. I guess I was just feeling extra creative today :)

Read, enjoy, review :) Please :) and thank you :)

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><p><strong>25. Sorry<strong>

There was a quiet knock on my dormitory door. A second later, Remus entered, invisibility cloak in hand. He was followed closely by a very concerned Sirius.

"Hey guys," I said, rising from my spot next to Lily on the floor, where we had been studying Potions, "ready, Rem?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning against the doorframe.

"Remind me again why _you _have to go?" Sirius asked, a little roughly, standing between me and the doorway, looking at me with a troubled expression.

I sighed. We'd been over this a few times. I glanced quickly at the clock by Lily's bed. Remus and I were supposed to meet Jeanette in the Hogwarts kitchen in 5 minutes. "Because she wants to speak to Remus and I." I told him, stepping up to peck him on the cheek, trying to put his worries to rest. "_Only_ Remus and I." I added firmly as he opened his mouth to object. "Please, Sirius, I'll be okay."

"What if she doesn't show up alone?" he asked softly, as I pulled my jacket on and started towards the door. I exchanged a glance with Remus. "She'll come alone. We have to trust her if we want to help her." I said, trying to convince myself as much as Sirius.

* * *

><p>The kitchens were warm, inviting, and empty, save for Jeanette, who was leaning against a counter, pale as a ghost. She looked up, her gaze fearful and her wand raised, as she saw Remus and I. Slowly she lowered her hand and watched us warily.<p>

"Jeanette," Remus said, and it was clear with that one word how much he cared about her. He approached her slowly. When he placed one long-fingered hand on her shoulder, she turned suddenly and hugged him tightly around the neck, burying her face in his chest while he wrapped his arms around her waist and breathed in the smell of her hair. I felt almost as if I was intruding on a personal moment as I stood there, watching silently.

After a minute or so, Jeanette broke away, staying close to Remus, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She looked at me and took a deep, shaky breath.

"I'm so sorry." She began, hesitating slightly. "And…" she looked down at her feet. "How's Lily?"

"She's fine. Perfectly fine." Remus said gently, steering her towards a table and chairs. "Jeanette, why don't we all sit down?"

"No." Jeanette said quickly. She shot Remus an apologetic look, but stayed rooted to the spot. "No. I should stand. I…"

"How are you doing, Jeanette?" I asked, my voice sounding loud and pressing in comparison to her wavering speech. "After last night?"

"I'm fine." she said, and while Remus looked relieved, I looked closer at the blonde Ravenclaw in front of me. She had paled considerably when she answered, and it was just a little too fast for me to fully believe her. "They…" she faltered.

"Did they hurt you?" Remus asked, suddenly alarmed. "Regulus, Snape, the others? Did they hurt you for not following through with the attack on Lily?"

Jeanette seemed to cringe visibly at Remus's words. I bit my lip, waiting for the answer.

White as a sheet, Jeanette pressed her hands to her face, and took a steadying breath. "They didn't _hurt _me, no…" she whispered. Her shoulders shook a little, and I suddenly had the feeling that she wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Jeanette, what happened?" I asked, pressing for information. They'd given her a direct command and she hadn't followed through. They'd threatened to kill her _parents_ if she didn't complete the task. I had a hard time believing that there would be zero consequences for her failure.

Remus shot me a look that clearly meant _be gentle_, but I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Jeanette?" I asked, again.

"They told me that I would have to do something else. They didn't say what." Jeanette said, looking up from her hands, tears in her striking eyes.

Remus seemed to visibly relax at her words. "They didn't hurt you." he said, sighing, relieved. "Thank goodness."

Jeanette managed a shaky smile up at him while I watched. Maybe I had spent too much time around the darker side of the wizarding world, but I couldn't believe that the Dark Lord would let Jeanette off so easily. Voldemort didn't give second chances.

But I kept my skepticism to myself. I decided that I would have to talk to Jeanette myself, without Remus. He cared about her far too much to keep a clear head in all of this.

"I need to go." Jeanette was saying to Remus now, hugging him one last time. "I don't want anyone to know I was out of bed."

"Of course." Remus said, kissing her forehead affectionately and unfolding the invisibility cloak, getting ready for our departure. "You'll be okay getting back to the Ravenclaw dormitories on your own?"

"Yes, I'll be fine, it's not far." She said softly, looking at me. She crossed the distance between us and clasped my hands in hers. She looked at me seriously, and I felt my heart sink when I looked back at her and saw pure fear in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. But please. It's from Regulus." she whispered to me, and I felt her slip a small piece of paper in my hand.

I felt sick. Clearly I had been right. Jeanette hadn't been telling the whole truth, and whatever secret she was keeping, it must be terrifying.

And I was about to be in the middle of it.

I glanced over at Remus, who was busy readying the invisibility cloak. He glanced up at me, smiling slightly, and I slipped the little paper into the back pocket of my jeans.

"Let's go." I said, taking a deep breath.

* * *

><p>Even though it was just a little piece of paper, Regulus's message to me felt heavy as I took it out of my pocket and sat on my bed, staring at the unopened square of parchment. Sirius sat next to me, the curtains around my bed drawn and a silencing spell already cast around us.<p>

I'd felt almost physically ill as Remus and I had walked back into the Gryffindor common room, greeted by Lily, James, and Sirius, who had waited up for us.

I'd feigned tiredness and dragged Sirius up the stairs with me. He'd picked up on my anxiety quickly, stopping me when we entered my empty dormitory and hugging me close, calming me.

I'd quickly explained what was wrong, and held the note up for him to see. I could see my anxiety reflected in his eyes as we sat on my bed and prepared ourselves for the contents of Regulus's message.

I opened the note and read it. I felt almost numb as I stared at the words, which I had half expected to see, anyway.

Sirius read the note too, his face draining of color as we just looked at each other for a moment. "No," he whispered softly, looking at me, his blue eyes shining with what seemed like tears. "Addy, no, no, no…" he cupped my face, leaning his forhead against mine, shaking his head. "No, no."

But I was nodding. "Yes," I said, tears in my eyes too, but my voice strong. "Sirius, I have to."

He shut his eyes, but I could see that he understood. That he would do the same if it was him, and not me.

"Please," he whispered one final time, those blue eyes looking at me, imploring, desperate, but it was a futile effort, and we both knew it. "Don't."

_Adeline, join the Dark Lord's ranks or Jeanette dies. Meet me at the astronomy tower at midnight with your answer. _The note read. At the bottom, in tiny, scrawled letters, I could just make out the words next to his signature. _I'm sorry. -R.A.B._


	26. Requirement

**Author's Note**

Hey guys!

Here's chapter 26. Hope you like it. Developing some relationships in this one. Tell me what you think! :)

Read, enjoy, PLEASE review! :)

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><p><strong>26. Requirement<strong>

It was 11 o' clock at night the next day, and I sat with Sirius in the Gryffindor common room, alone. Classes and-in his case-Quidditch practice, had kept us mostly apart the whole day and distracted, but now, as we sat on one of the couches in front of the fireplace and waited until I was to meet Regulus and agree to be a Death Eater, things seemed all too real.

My head was laying on Sirius's shoulder, his arm wrapped comfortingly around me. And for whatever reason I couldn't get one awful thought out of my brain.

"Sirius?" I said, raising my head and looking at him. He was staring pensively at the fire, his eyes so empty and sad that I felt my heart sink just looking at him. He turned his head, staring at me questionably. I went on, the words I said literally painful to speak. "You can leave. If you want. If this was more than you bargained for, if you think that it's too dangerous to be around me. I wouldn't blame you… I…" I couldn't look at him, instead turning my gaze to the fire, fighting back tears. "You can leave and never look back. I'd understand." I whispered.

It was a long, scary moment before he finally spoke. The sincerity in his voice was enough for me to turn my head and look at him. His eyes were full of life again, and fire. "Adeline Randall Villori," he said, pronouncing each word slowly as he looked right at me, "I am never leaving you. I don't care what happens, what kind of mark they put on your arm, who you take orders from. I. Am. Never. Leaving. You."

We watched each other for a while. Finally, I couldn't contain my emotions anymore. Sirius's words had lifted some huge weight off of my shoulders. And even though I was scared out of my wits, and about to become a death eater, and everything else, I knew that somehow I'd make it out okay, because I would have Sirius.

And so suddenly I was laughing and smiling in spite of my future, and pressing my lips to his again and again and again. "Thank you," I whispered against his skin, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

He responded enthusiastically at first, but pulled away as I climbed into his lap, practically straddling him, kissing his neck. "Addy," he said, leaning his forehead against mine, apparently surprised with my forwardness. "Not that I'm not enjoying myself thoroughly, but in less than an hour you—"

"I know." I said, still breathing hard, kissing his lips gently, my eyes closing. "In an hour I sell my soul to the Dark Lord. But can we just forget about that right now? Please? Just for a while?"

Sirius looked at me for a moment, his blue eyes boring holes into my green ones. Then he smiled, his hands finding my hips, and flipping us so that it was now _me _pinned to the couch, him hovering over me, his lips kissing down my neck. "Your soul can never be taken. Or sold. It's not Voldemort's, and it never will be." he whispered against my skin. His lips found mine again and I smiled, so in love.

"My soul is yours." I whispered.

* * *

><p>The journey up the stairs of the astronomy tower felt endless, but at the same time, way too short. Like with each step I was sealing my fate just a little more definitely. Adeline Villori, sworn death eater.<p>

Sworn, yes. But in my heart I was determined to remain unchanged. I still believed in goodness, equality, love, everything my family seemed to so fervently fight against.

I sighed, as the door to the tower and the end of these winding stairs came into my view. My family. No doubt my mother and perhaps my brothers had something to do with _my_ second chance with the dark lord. My father I'm sure was furiously against it. I hadn't even for a second forgotten the look in his eyes as he'd ordered a roomful of people to kill me.

But as my father believed so fanatically, blood and family were the most important things in life. Maybe that was why I'd been offered this second chance. Just killing me would tarnish the Villori family name.

I reached the top of the stairs and stood there for a minute, trying to just prepare myself for what was about to come. I found my thoughts flickering back to two months ago, when I'd been ready to die instead of becoming a death eater.

The situation was drastically different now, wasn't it? Someone else's life was at stake, first and foremost. I _had_ to do this for Jeanette. I would do it for anyone. But I couldn't help but think—with sweaty palms and an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach—that becoming a death eater might mean I had to kill people.

Could I do that? I didn't think so. Maybe, in self-defense, but cold blood murder? The very thought made me sick to my stomach.

I wasn't cut out for this. No sane person was. But what choice did I have? As of now, I was saving a life. And risking my own in more ways than one, but I could handle that.

I think.

I pushed open the heavy oak door, stepping out onto the balcony of the Astronomy Tower, feeling my lungs fill with cold, fresh February air. My reason for being here temporarily slipped my mind and as I took in the beautiful starry sky surrounding me, and remembered with fondness the last time I'd been up here, with Sirius, and how happy I had been in those moments.

The sound of Regulus's voice from behind me cut through my memories like a knife. "So, Adeline, what's your answer?"

* * *

><p>I practically fell out of the vanishing cabinet, back into the Room of Requirement, back from that wretched place. I sank to the ground next to a huge stack of stolen library books, surrounded by what seemed like mountains of random items that had been hidden and forgotten in the room over the years. I was sweating and shivering and, in the nick of time, grabbed an old rubbish bin and retched into it violently.<p>

I felt rough hands pulling my hair away from my face, reminding me of the fact that I wasn't alone. I was thankful for that. After thoroughly emptying my stomach of all contents, I pushed the trash can away and sat back, closing my eyes. I felt and heard Regulus sit down next to me.

"That…" I started, but faded away, not having the energy nor desire to finish my sentence.

"… could have been much, much worse." Regulus said, and I peeked open one eye to look at him, a little accusingly. "Trust me," he said, looking back at me. "It could have been."

I nodded, my eyes closing again, breathing deeply. Trying to keep my sanity, nausea, and emotions all in check. "The vanishing cabinet." I said, wanting to distract myself, "how does that work?"

"Lots of very complicated enchantments," Regulus said, sighing. I opened my eyes to see him staring at it with an expression so close to dislike it was almost comical. He turned to see me watching him, almost amused, and shrugged. "It took me all of first term to get it working with its sister in Borgin and Burkes. Damn thing."

"You did that yourself?" I asked, impressed. "That's some pretty advanced magic."

"I've got my talents." He said with a grim smile and another shrug. "We both do."

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at him curiously.

"I mean that I'm good at enchantments, fixing things, and designing a way to get in and out of the most secure place in Britain, besides maybe Gringotts." He said this with a tone that was cocky and the same time self-deprecating. It was almost charming. "And you have some of the highest marks in this whole school. You're also great at potions I hear. As well as healing spells."

"What are you saying, Reg?" I asked, giving him a grim smile of my own. "That I'll have a bright future as a healer if this whole death eater thing doesn't work out?"

He rolled his eyes at me, chuckling all the same, while I thought about just how weird it was that we were sitting here, talking, when less than 10 minutes ago we had been in the presence of the most murderous wizard in history. "I'm saying that even death eaters need to be healed every once in a while. I—" he stopped abruptly, fixing me with an appraising look. "I think I'm right in assuming that you'd rather not…" he bit his lip. "_Harm_ anyone?"

"Harm?" I gave a cynical laugh at his attempt at a euphemism. "You're right, Regulus. I'd rather not kill anyone."

There was silence for a second, during which my words seemed to resonate, filling all the nooks and crevices of this huge room of abandoned and forgotten possessions. The casualness with which I had spoken about death and dying and _murder_ seemed suddenly so unbearably awful. The newly present mark on my left forearm that I was trying desperately to ignore seemed to suddenly throb.

"I don't want to kill anyone either." Regulus said into the silence, and he looked at me, his dark blue eyes full of sadness. Then he glanced away, sighing heavily and standing up. "But my point is," he said as he held his hands out for me, offering me help in standing. I took them gratefully, suddenly exhausted once again. We started making our way to the door leading out of the room. "Our side could use a healer. It's not enough for the Dark Lord to have numbers on his side, he needs witches and wizards with skill as well. I'm saying you need to prove that you'd be most useful as a healer. Healers tend to do a lot less killing."

We both looked at each other as we reached the door of the Room of Requirement and prepared to venture out into the dim corridors of Hogwarts and go our separate ways. I realized then that talking about death and destruction as if they were as insignificant as the weather or weekend plans was just part of the job. How else were we going to get through this?

"Guess I better start learning some more healing spells then."


	27. Okay

**Author's Note**

Hi readers! Here's chapter 27, I hope you all like it! Also: check out my profile for a link to a picture of Regulus (as I see him in my head). :)

Read, enjoy, review!

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><p><strong>27. Okay<strong>

I pushed open the door to the 6th year girls' dormitory, to find Lily sitting in her bed, at 3 am, looking distraught. Her usually tame red hair was sticking up in all directions and she was surrounded by library books, all of them lying open in various states of disorder.

She glanced up immediately when I stepped into the room, and in the blink of an eye had practically tackled me, hugging me tightly, sobbing into my shoulder. "Addy!" she said, pulling away and wiping her eyes, looking at me almost wildly as if she was checking for injuries. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm alright," I said, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. "Lily, what-?"

"Sirius came in here around midnight, practically out of his mind." She said, pulling me over to my bed and sitting down, dragging me down beside her. "I asked him what was wrong, he was frantic, angry, scared, I don't know… He told me something was happening to you, that you'd be back in a few hours." She sighed, running a hand through her hair, and looking at me, her eyes wide. "Addy, I'm jumping to conclusions here, I know, but…" she trailed off, looking at me imploringly.

I looked at my best friend, who was staring at me with a mixture of concern and anxiety and a little bit of fear. And suddenly things seemed to become very real. It was like running into a brick wall. I'd suffered through an initiation with Lord Voldemort, surrounded by other sworn death eaters and my own family. Adrenaline and shock had carried me through tonight until this very moment. I felt tears prick my eyes as I looked back at Lily and gave a slow nod before pushing back my left sleeve and revealing the ugly mark now tattooed on my forearm, still red and painful and fresh. "I'm so sorry, Lily. They said they would kill Jeanette if I didn't." I whispered as she put a hand to her mouth, staring down at the dark mark.

There was a long silence before Lily spoke. "It doesn't change anything." she said, loudly, fiercely, pulling her eyes away from the mark to stare determinedly into mine. "You're still Addy, you're still my best friend. Right?"

I let out a breath that I didn't even know I'd been holding. "Right. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Lily. I'm so sorry."

"I understand." she said, pulling my sleeve back down, hugging me tightly again. "And I won't tell anyone, I swear."

"Thank you." I whispered. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I'd desperately wanted to tell Lily everything since the second I had read Regulus's note, but I'd told myself that it was safer for everyone if I kept it secret. But Lily knew now, and I trusted her with my life.

My heart sank as I remembered Lily's story of earlier in the night. "Lils?" I said, as we both stood. "Where's Sirius?"

She shook her head slowly, her green eyes sad. "James pulled him out of here. Literally. I've never seen Sirius look so… out of control, honestly." She told me, her face grim. "That's how I knew things were bad."

* * *

><p>I didn't have the strength to look for Sirius. Part of me was disappointed, and a little bit scared. I'd expected him to be here, ready to comfort me, ready to hold me and help me feel safe and protected. Instead I was here, wondering where he was.<p>

_He can't handle this, _was the thought that ran through my head over and over again as I pulled off my cloak and climbed under the welcoming covers of my bed, my whole body aching after the hell I'd been through.

I didn't blame him, if that was the case. Regardless he wasn't here now, when I needed him. Now that the memories of the night were flooding into my mind, overwhelming me as I lay in the darkness of the dormitory, no idea where he was. I remembered Voldemort's thin, scathing voice and the masks of the people around me. I remembered the look on the Dark Lord's face as he'd used the cruciatus curse on me for ten long seconds, to give me just a hint of the pain I would suffer if I ever betrayed him or my family again. And I remembered the look on Regulus's face as he'd picked me up afterwards, steadying me on my feet before I vowed my allegiance to the Dark Lord and his sworn servants and was marked forever with a black tattoo.

_Maybe I don't need Sirius_, I thought suddenly. All those things were awful, and my stomach churned just to think of them. But I'd made it through, and I wasn't about to give up. I was still here, still alive, and now there was a mark on my arm but my heart still beat strong and true, I still believed in happiness and love and goodness. So maybe I didn't _need_ Sirius.

But the darkness still surrounded me, and I felt cold and frightened as I lay there, alone, nothing but my thoughts and the snake inked into my arm for company.

_No_, I thought grimly, shutting my eyes tight and wishing for sleep that I was quite certain would evade me. _I don't _need _Sirius. I just want him._

* * *

><p>Three hours later I awoke, breathing hard, my hand clutching my chest. Voldemort's laughing face as he looked down at me, curled up on the floor in agony, was seared into my mind, an image that wouldn't go away.<p>

Just at that moment I heard a door creak, and I lunged for my wand, grabbing it from my bedside table and pointing it in the direction of the noise.

Sirius stood in the doorway, his face illuminated by the beginnings of a sunrise that could be seen through one of the windows of our dormitory. He looked tired and defeated, but his eyes were bright in the almost-darkness, and the second he saw me he advanced towards the bed, sitting on the edge and pulling me into a tight hug in one fluid motion.

The second he touched me I felt a thousand times better. "Addy," he whispered into my hair. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," I said, pulling away and kissing him hard. "I'm okay." I leaned back enough to take off his jacket, dropping it on the floor beside my bed. "Sleep for a bit, yeah?" I asked, pulling him down with me.

He let me pull him down, lying beside me, pulling the covers over both of us and pulling _me _close. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you got back." he whispered. "It was horrid of me. I just… I freaked out." he admitted. "I'm so, so sorry."

"S'alright." I muttered, burrowing deeper into the covers, feeling his arm wrap around my waist and feeling utterly relaxed for the first time in more than 24 hours.

* * *

><p>"Reg?" I asked, a few days later, walking into the Room of Requirement and hearing a muffled curse from somewhere deep within the labyrinth of ceiling-high piles of junk. "Everything okay?"<p>

I'd seen him slip through the door earlier in the day, and after noticing his absence from the Great Hall during dinner, had figured that he was still inside the room, doing _something_. "Yeah," he said, "I'm just… bugger."

I turned the corner, sidestepped an empty owl cage, and found him, sleeves rolled up, green and silver Slytherin tie loosened considerably, wand in hand, staring angrily at the vanishing cabinet.

He turned when he caught sight of me, and I held out the plate of food I'd nicked for him from the kitchens after dinner. He smiled appreciatively—a small, tight smile, but a smile nonetheless—sitting down on an empty stool nearby and taking a bite of shepard's pie. "Something's wrong with it." He informed me between bites, waving in the general direction of the cabinet, fork in hand. "I've been trying to fix it all afternoon."

I nodded, sitting down in an old pink arm chair and rummaging through my bag. "Saw you slip in earlier. Maybe you…"—I mentally chastised myself for being so honest around Regulus, but said what was on my mind anyway-"Maybe you ought to take your time fixing it. As long as it's broken we wouldn't have to... you know." I finished lamely, not taking my eyes off of my bag.

To my surprise he gave a little bark of laughter. "I thought about that already." He told me, grinning. "But I think I'd like to stay on the Dark Lord's good side. If he even has one. Plus, I haven't the slightest idea what the problem is with this thing." He stood, setting his empty plate to the side and standing in front of the large cabinet, arms folded in front of him. "But don't you worry," he added, smirking at me and pulling his wand out and looking determinedly at the magical piece of furniture. "I'll figure it out."

"I'm sure you will," I told him, opening up the copy of _777 Vital Spells and Potions for the Modern Day Healer_ that I'd borrowed from the library the day before. "in the meantime, I think I'll take your advice."

He glanced over at me, noting the title of the book and nodding. "Alright then, let's get to work."

* * *

><p>"Thanks for the dinner, Villori," Regulus said, as we made our way to the exit of the giant room, a few hours later.<p>

"Thanks for the company, Black," I answered, elbowing him playfully.

He chuckled, looking at me curiously. "Actually, I was wondering about that. Why aren't you traipsing around with the almighty Sirius today, like usual?"

"I don't know," I said, picking at the sleeve of my school robes. "He…" I shrugged.

"Treats you differently?" Regulus supplied, his hand on the door knob as he fixed me with a searching look.

"A little bit." I admitted, thinking back on the past couple of days. Sirius had been… distant.

Regulus just nodded. And it struck me that he was perhaps the only person who truly understood my situation. "You're lucky," I said, scuffing my shoe on the floor. "You're in Slytherin. You've got friends, Snape and the others…"

"Severus doesn't talk to anybody." Regulus told me with a grim little chuckle. "Especially me. I'm the brother of Sirius Black after all. And the others…" he just shrugged. "I tell them about meetings, stuff like that. But they're obsessed with murder, purity, they believe in it heart and soul. They aren't my friends."

There was silence as we walked out of the room, prepared to part ways. "Am I your friend?" I asked teasingly in the empty hallway, trying to get him to laugh, feeling a little sorry for bringing the subject up in the first place

I stood outside the doorway, as Regulus started walking backwards down the corridor, towards the dungeons. He flashed me a cocky, winning smile, hands sliding into the front pockets of his jeans. "Well," he said, smirking. "Yeah."

Then he turned around, turned the corner, and I turned towards the direction of Gryffindor tower, smiling to myself.


	28. Apology

**Author's Note**

Hello lovelies :) It's been a while since I updated but it is a pretty long chapter soooo yeah!

Read, enjoy, review :)

* * *

><p><strong>28. Apology<strong>

I walked into the Gryffindor common room feeling better than I had in days. It was mostly empty, save Lily, James, and Sirius, the three of whom were sitting around one of the fireplaces, chatting amiably.

Or at least James and Lily were. As I approached the little group, I noticed that Sirius had a rather grim expression on his face, and was staring moodily into the flames, the flickering light casting long shadows beneath his high cheekbones, making him look even grimmer.

Lily looked up as I made my way over, the smile that had been gracing her features falling the second she saw me. Her eyes went wide, and she shook her head almost imperceptibly, her gaze traveling quickly to Sirius.

Too late, though, because at that moment Sirius stirred from his stony posture and turned to look at me, his eyes immediately narrowing. "Where have you been?" he asked, quietly, as he rose from his spot by the fire and faced me, putting his hands in the pockets of his robes.

"Hi to you, too." I said, quirking my brow, a little taken aback by his icy tone.

"So you've been with Regulus." he said definitively, his eyes flashing, ignoring my remark. "We haven't seen you since dinner. I was worried! And now you just come traipsing back in here after spending hours with _him —"_

I felt my temper rising, and cut him off sharply, stepping forward slightly. "_Regulus,_" I said scathingly, "is my _friend_."

"And I'm your _boyfriend_," said Sirius, pushing his hair back impatiently from his eyes and stepping forward, too. "Or have you forgotten?"

"What are you talking about?" I said indignantly. "I'll spend my time with whoever I want to! You don't have any say—"

"You could at least _tell _me before you disappear for an entire evening!"

"I was spending time with Reg! He's lonely, Sirius, and—"

"It serves him right! You know why I have a problem with this!" he shot back, and I saw a flicker of hurt in his eyes as he spoke, though it vanished so quickly that I was hardly sure that it had really been there. "He's dangerous, Addy!"

I dimly noticed that James and Lily had also stood and were looking at us, concerned, but my attention was solely focused on Sirius, angry tears starting to blur my vision.

"_What?_" I all but screamed at him. "Dangerous?! What are you—"

"He's a _death eater_, Addy!" Sirius countered, immediately paling as his words hung in the air between us, painfully resonating in the high-ceilinged room. I felt my tears brimming over, but made no move to wipe them away.

I just nodded slowly, feeling sick, and angry, and a little betrayed. I stepped forward, so less than a foot separated me from the tall, black-haired boy in front of me. "So. Am. I." I said, quietly, though my words shook with fury, as I raised my arm and pulled down my sleeve, showing him the dark mark which stood stark against my pale skin.

I saw the fight go out of him as I held his gaze for another few moments, the anger in his features replaced by regret.

"Addy…" he said softly, but I was already turning, without another word, leaving the common room without looking back.

* * *

><p>I'd lost all track of time as I sat on the balcony of the astronomy tower, staring at the starry landscape in front of me, trying to think of nothing but how beautiful the night was, and how nice the cool air felt on my skin.<p>

Easier said than done. I was trying though, hard. And with each passing hour, I felt the anger that had been boiling in my veins diminish, replaced by a bone-aching nostalgia for how things had been before. When my life hadn't been quite so wrapped up in death and pain, and had been wrapped up in the comforting touch of Sirius instead.

Sirius. Just the thought of him made me feel like sobbing. I'd felt like a monster, showing him the mark on my arm and seeing my own hurt reflected back at me through his eyes. I had become a death eater, and now he couldn't look at me the same way: the past few days had made that clear enough. He could hardly meet my eye, his words terse and unemotional when he spoke to me. He was wary, maybe even afraid of me. I couldn't say that I blamed him.

No sooner had I thought this than I heard the sound of the heavy wooden door behind me open and then close softly. Blinking back tears, I turned, hardly caring who had come and interrupted my silent brooding.

Until I saw high cheekbones, dark hair and bright blue eyes looking at me through the semi-darkness.

"Can I sit?" Sirius asked quietly, gesturing to the spot on the hard stone floor next to me.

"Yes."

He did, leaning his back against the wall of the tower, hands resting loosely on his knees. He wasn't touching me, but I could feel the warmth of him beside me, inviting and comforting. But I didn't reach out for him. How could I?

The silence stretched between us like a chain, weighing us both down. Even the air felt heavier, like gravity was working against us, just like the rest of the universe.

"I'm sorry." Those words, spoken softly, without his usual bravado and charm, seemed almost a part of the night, a whisper in the darkness.

"Sirius, I am too, I—" I began, even if it was too late, even if we couldn't fix this. I wanted to apologize for dragging him into this mess in the first place, for becoming a death eater when I knew that things could never be the same. For changing.

But he cut me off. "No," he said, his gaze trained steadfastly on the starry sky in front of us. "Please, Adeline. I messed up. I really fucking messed up."

I didn't know what to say to this. So I stayed silent, waiting for him to continue, letting his words hang there, briefly.

"First of all," he said, his gaze flickering to his hands, and then, to the space separating us. "I was—_am _jealous of Regulus. He's been through what you've been through, he has the mark… the two of you share a bond that you and I don't." He was speaking slowly, choosing his words carefully. "And I know you don't want it. That's not what I'm saying. But it's there, and I know you need him. You need someone with you, to go through this with. I want you to have that. It's just… there's no excuse for what I said in the common room. I was jealous. And angry. And…" he sighed. "And I know that I've been distant these past few days. I was just… scared, I guess."

"Of me?" I asked, unable to keep the edge out of my voice, thinking at that moment that I _had_ to know the answer to this question. I _had _to.

He took a deep breath, his fists balled into fists on his knees. "No," he whispered, with complete sincerity, shutting his eyes tightly. "I'm scared, _terrified_, of losing _you_."

I felt the tears brimming over just as I felt him shake, almost imperceptibly, beside me. "I can't lose you." he whispered, choking on the last word.

I turned then, seeing a sight that made my heart break, a true, ripping, searing paindeep within my chest.

I'd never seen Sirius cry. I think that few people probably have. But when I turned, he was doing just that, tears falling slowly down his cheeks, glistening in the starlight, making little ribbons of radiance down the smooth, perfect planes of his face. He didn't make a sound, his eyes shut tight, long, dark lashes trying to keep the moisture from escaping.

And that was when I realized that things weren't over. I was marked, yes, and bound to a cause I didn't believe in, my destiny uncertain even now. But looking at Sirius, his body shuddering with silent sobs, afraid of _losing _me, and what we had together, just as I was, I knew that this wasn't the end.

I loved Sirius. Maybe I hadn't said the words, but I didn't have to. There was no other word for what I felt for him in that moment. For _all_ the moments that I had looked at him, spoken to him, been in his arms. Love was the only thing that I knew for sure.

And it was this realization, made with such absolute clarity, that caused me to forgive him for what he'd said in the common room, for the distance he'd kept between us since my initiation, for everything that had led us up to this tower, to this moment.

It was this realization that made me turn, sobs rising from my own chest, and grasp him tight, wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him to me, getting as close as I could to the person who had led me here. And I felt my heart mending, the pain lessening, the wound healing, as he wrapped his own arms around my waist, holding tight like I was the only thing in the world he had to hold on to.

It was a long time before the tears subsided, and even longer before we lessened our grip on the other. But finally we did, although I remained in his lap, unwilling to move too far away. Even sitting down next to him seemed too great a distance.

We could have said those three little words to each other. Looking into his eyes and seeing the stars, emotion, and depth of feeling reflected back at me, I had no doubt that he felt the same way. But it wasn't the right moment, sitting there with tears drying on both our faces. That could wait. We had time.

Instead, we just sat there, in each others' arms, looking at the stars and breathing the cool air of night time. I felt at peace, safe in Sirius's embrace. Talking wasn't necessary at that moment. Just being together was enough.

* * *

><p>I must have fallen asleep at some point, as I came back to reality to find myself in the common room, the first rays of sunrise peeking through the window behind me as I laid on one of the leather couches in front of the fire, a blanket tucked around me, a pillow beneath my head. Looking around sleepily, I noticed that Sirius had fallen asleep on one of the armchairs a few feet away, no blanket, no pillow, his head lying on one arm, facing me.<p>

I watched him for a moment as he slept, his face peaceful, his dark lashes casting shadows across his cheekbones from the light of the fire in front of us. I noticed, with a little twinge, that he must have fallen asleep while watching _me_, after having carried me all the way from the astronomy tower to the common room. The thought made me feel warm, protected, and I was filled with another rush of affection towards the boy in front of me.

Just then he stirred, his eyes blinking open sleepily and fixing on mine almost immediately.

"Hi," I said after a long moment.

"Hi," he responded, one corner of his mouth quirking up in a small smile.

We regarded each other for a long moment, the crackle of the fire the only noise punctuating the silence. Finally I jerked my head, wordlessly inviting him to join me on the couch.

A few seconds later he was beside me, one arm wrapped around my shoulders, my head resting on his chest as we sat together, watching the flames. I looked up at him, lifting my head to look him in the eye. "You're not going to lose me." I told him simply, wanting to put this matter behind us, needing the closure that came with this exchange. "I'm not going anywhere."

He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment, the flames of the fire reflected in his dark pupils. Then he kissed me, gently, but almost with a promise. Like he was telling me that it wasn't going to be the last time.

"Neither am I."


	29. Celebration

**Author's Note**

Hi guys! Here's Chapter 29, I hope you like it! Thanks so much for reading my story, I appreciate it more than you could ever know!

Also, reviews make me the happiest person in the world. Please don't hesitate to let me know what you think! It inspires me to keep writing :) On that note...

Read, enjoy, review :)

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><p><strong>29. Celebration<strong>

A week later, Lily and I came down to breakfast in the Great Hall, sitting down across the table from an uncharacteristically grim-looking James, with Sirius beside him, cheerfully shoveling pancakes into his mouth.

It was one of the biggest quidditch days of the year: Gryffindor would be facing off against Slytherin to decide who went on to the final match of the year against Ravenclaw. And from the looks of things, Gryffindor was the underdog.

"Morning, ladies," said James, sounding pained, as Lily and I poured ourselves some juice, her grabbing a scone while I began spooning some oatmeal into a bowl. As captain of the team, James took his job very seriously.

"James," greeted Lily, regarding him with an amused expression on her face. Sirius grinned at me from across the table, his eyes lighting up immediately.

"Morning, love," he said to me after swallowing a bite of food and greeting Lily, eyebrows raised flirtatiously, leaning forward slightly. "You coming to watch us crush some Slytherins?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." I told him, smiling too. Lily made a gagging noise beside me and James turned to his best friend, looking reproachful.

"Let's not get overconfident, Padfoot," he said, frowning in a most un-James-like way. "Slytherins won by more points than us in almost all their matches this year. I—"

"Oh, bugger off," said Sirius good-naturedly. "We can't go into the match thinking we've already lost!"

James was about to respond to this remark when an owl swooped down, dropping a letter onto the plate in front of Sirius, landing with a smack in a pool of syrup.

Sirius lifted up the piece of parchment curiously, nodding to Lily in thanks as she reached over with her wand and cleaned the sugary substance off the paper with a little flick.

After reading the return label, he smiled slightly and stuck the piece of mail in one of his robe pockets. "My cousin Andromeda," he explained, looking up to find us all watching him interestedly. Sirius hardly ever got mail.

"Bellatrix's sister?" asked Lily skeptically, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah," said Sirius a little defensively, as he and James both rose to head down to the field and get changed into their quidditch robes. "She's cool, don't worry Lils."

He swooped down, leaning over the table to kiss my forehead, flashing me a cute smile and a wave before jogging after James, who was walking determinedly down the hall, Gryffindor students wishing him luck as he passed.

* * *

><p>An hour later Lily and I were bundled up in Gryffindor scarves and hats to combat the chilly, early spring temperature, and were seated high up in the Gryffindor stands, waiting for the match to start. Remus sat next to Lily with Peter on his other side, the two boys chatting amiably while Lily and I scanned the field for our respective love interests, sitting close together for warmth.<p>

"He's not my boyfriend," Lily was saying now, inspecting her nails. "Not officially anyway."

"Right," I said, unconvinced. "You just hold hands and kiss and spend entire days together doing God knows what—"

"Adeline Villori!" Lily reprimanded, although she was clearly blushing. "You do that with Sirius, too!"

"Yeah," I said, rolling my eyes. "Sirius. My _boyfriend_."

Lily dismissed this fact with a wave of her hand. "We're getting there. We're just… taking it slow. He probably thinks I'm going to wake up one morning and realize I've gone off the deep end, giving him a chance. I'm not so sure that won't happen."

"Fat chance," I said, snorting.

"How _are _you and Sirius anyway?" she asked, blatantly changing the subject and lowering her voice. "That fight you two had the other night was…" she frowned, remembering.

"One of the low points of my life?" I suggested helpfully. I shook my head at her concerned expression. "We were both just…" I shrugged. "tired and upset. He apologized, I apologized… And we're good now. Great, actually."

I smiled to myself. This was true.

"Well, you love each other." said Lily natter-of-factly, her gaze trained on the tiny figures of the opposing teams as they made their way onto the pitch. "and love always finds a way."

I looked at her, eyes wide. "How…?"

"How do I know? Oh please," she said, grinning at just the sight of James, leaning forward to stiffly shake the Slytherin captain's hand. "The way you look at each other says it all. I've never seen two people so… _passionate_, I guess, is the right word."

I mulled this over in my head as the game began, the players rising high on their brooms, becoming blurs as they sped up and down the pitch. I caught sight of Sirius, bat raised high in anticipation of a bludger that was making its way towards him at a remarkable speed, wide shoulders braced for impact.

* * *

><p>"I would just like to say," said James, grinning widely, words slightly slurred, as he stood, arms locked with Sirius, on a table in the middle of the Gryffindor common room. "That I had the utmost faith in our team today. Not a moment went by where I was not 100% certain that we would come out on top." he pumped a fist into the air victoriously. "We are the <em>kings<em>!"

This little speech was greeted by raucous cheers and the raising of beverages in salute towards the two tall, dark-haired boys, who bowed to their admirers somewhat unsteadily before hopping off their make-shift podium. Lily and I watched this performance with amusement, both sipping our glasses of firewhiskey. "This popularity is really going to go to their heads," Lily commented, rolling her eyes good naturedly and watching James receive hearty congratulations from his admirers.

"They worked hard," I said congenially, savoring the warming sensation in my belly as I swallowed some more of my drink. "They earned it."

Just then I felt a strong hand on my shoulder and turned to find Sirius grinning at me, his own much larger refreshment held firmly in the other hand. "Fantastic party, right?" he said enthusiastically. "Victory never tasted so sweet."

I laughed, sinking down into a nearby couch with Sirius next to me and Lily on my other side, James and Remus joining us a few seconds later. "It's a great party." I told my boyfriend, knowing that he was instrumental in its success: I suspected that he and James had been the main force behind the acquisition of such copious amounts of firewhiskey and butterbeer.

Sirius leaned back, resting his head against the leather. I smiled, checking my watch. 10:30.

We sat around the fire for a while, James and Lily alternating between bickering and flirting while Sirius described the match to me in great detail, including a reenactment of his blow to the bludger that had sent it hurtling towards the Slytherin captain, effectively making him scream like a little girl. Remus stared into the fire for a long time, looking thoughtful, before heading upstairs.

By 11:30, the party was still going strong, and Lily and James rose, headed over to the makeshift dance floor created on one side of the room.

I got up and dashed upstairs to use the loo, finding upon my return that Sirius had moved over to a smaller couch in a more secluded corner of the room.

I raised my eyebrows as I made my way over, sitting beside him and letting my legs stretch across his lap. He sighed contentedly as I moved closer. "Going for the bad-boy loner image?" I asked, amused, noting our more private location.

He chuckled, running a hand through his hair and setting his now empty glass on a table beside us. "It's loud over there," he said airily, gesturing to "over there", which constituted the rest of the common room. "This is better."

I smirked as he drew me even closer, his thumb now making tiny circles on my waist. I was now all but sitting on his lap, and reached over, running a hand through his hair just as he had done, pushing the short, black strands away from his eyes.

He sighed contentedly, eyes shut, leaning in slightly to my touch. "Keep doing that," he muttered, the corner of his mouth twitching up into a smile as I laughed.

I did as I was asked, continuing to play with his hair. "I love your hair short," I told him, using my nails to very lightly scratch his scalp. He groaned, relaxing considerably under my touch. "You should keep it that way."

"As my lady commands," he said, opening his eyes, the color of which never failed to leave me momentarily speechless. "Now," he said, his thumb once again tracing small circles on my hips, his other hand tucking a piece of my own hair behind an ear. "I might be slightly drunk."

I giggled despite myself. "I noticed," I told him, grinning. "What's your point?"

He smiled flirtatiously at me, that crooked smile he knew I loved. "My point is…" he said, voice lower than usual. "I'm entirely incapacitated. I'm completely at your mercy, for you to do with me what you please."

I pretended to consider this, as my hand traveled from his hair down to trace one perfectly arched eyebrow, then down further to the stubble on his jaw. "In the middle of the common room?" I teased, "Sirius, that's improper."

"Nonsense," he said, peering around my shoulder briefly before smirking up at me. "No one's paying us the least bit of attention, trust me."

Not trusting him, I looked for myself, to find that he was right: we were being completely ignored.

I turned around, another cheeky remark on the tip of my tongue. Before I could say anything, though, Sirius stretched up, capturing my lips with his.

He was gentle, but I could feel his passion, and I could taste the firewhiskey on his tongue and smell the grass of the Quidditch pitch and the fresh spring air clinging to his skin. And his tongue was doing some pretty great things.

We broke apart after a few minutes, foreheads resting together, both of us breathing a little hard. I blushed, realizing that I was making out with my boyfriend in front of… well, pretty much everyone.

That thought disappeared from my mind as he bent to kiss my neck, lingering on a place just above my collarbone that made me, to my embarrassment, let out a little breathy moan.

He grinned up at me like a Cheshire cat, and I rolled my eyes at him affectionately, still blushing. I leaned over, my lips brushing his ear. "I thought _I _was supposed to be in charge here." I whispered.

He shivered slightly, which for whatever reason made me feel incredibly proud of myself. "You are," he said, his hands brushing up and down my sides, his touch feather-light. "I'm just offering my encouragement."

I laughed at this, then bent down, ever so slowly, kissing him below his jaw on a spot I knew he liked, lingering for a moment. He made a little sound low in his throat that I took to be approval, his hands tightening imperceptibly on my waist.

And as _much_ as I wanted to continue, the truth was that—secluded though we were in our little corner of the common room—we were still surrounded by people, a fact I was all too aware of.

Sirius pouted as I slid off his lap and onto the couch beside him. "I'm not snogging you in a room full of our classmates!" I told him, shaking my head admonishingly, though I was grinning as I did so.

"You just did," he pointed out, fixing me with those hypnotizing eyes.

I shrugged. "Well, I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted then," I said, waving my hand dismissively.

"Oh," he said, smirking at me, his voice low. "I did."

I was both embarrassed and pleased by this remark, and searched my mind frantically for a distracting subject before I ended up throwing myself at him, audience be damned.

"What did Andromeda say in her letter?" I finally asked, cheeks still tinged with pink. I vaguely remembered having met Sirius's cousin once or twice before, but that had been years ago. And quite frankly, I couldn't remember Walburga and Orion ever mentioning her. Although, I mused, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about that," said Sirius, turning to me, eyes bright, the alcohol seeming to have little effect now. "It was a wedding invitation."

"Oh," I said, eyebrows raised. "Wow." I was doing math in my head… she couldn't be more than twenty…

"She's marrying a muggle-born bloke named Ted Tonks," Sirius told me, and as if reading my thoughts, went on, smiling fondly. "I've never met the guy, but Andy is absolutely crazy about him. They've been dating for years. She's only twenty, of course, but people are getting married young these days… with the war and all." His smile faltered slightly, but he continued, looking at me, a questioning look in his eye. "Anyway, the wedding is next weekend, in some little wizarding village near France that Andy's visited a few times. She's already got things arranged with Dumbledore. A portkey is going to be set up, we'll pop over there Saturday morning and be back later that night."

"We?" I asked, eyebrows raised. Sirius looked a little sheepish, but nodded.

"I was hoping you'd be my plus one?" he looked so adorable, staring at me with an uncertain expression on his face. I couldn't help but lean forward, giving him a light peck on the lips.

"I'd love to."


End file.
